Contract
by CrimsonWolfKo
Summary: Lucy is trying to solve the mystery behind the random attacks on celestial wizards that has been going on for some time now. Besides all of that, she is trying to rekindle the relationship she once had with Loke when she was young. He is proving this task difficult for her when he refuses to make a contract. But Lucy is determined to get back the best friend she once had.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Chapter 1**

 **Hiii everyone! So I am super excited about this story FINALLY starting because it has been on my mind for a long time and I finally told myself to start it. This is going to be a LoLu story, I'm not entirely sure if there will be any smut later on down the road, so I will keep this rated T for now for violence and language. (please excuse any mistakes I may have missed... I've been staring at the computer too long lol)**

 **I'm not going to be revolving this around the guild hall too much because I don't really want it to. I have many plans for this story and if all goes well, hopefully you all will enjoy it as well. :)**

 **HUGE SHOUT OUT TO MSKTK!**

 **Anyone who is looking for a fantastic Gajevy story, that is written beyond excellence, please go check out my friend MsKtk's story Monster. You will not be disappointed by what she has created. :)**

* * *

Tiny hands reached up on the dresser with her mother's celestial keys on top, searching the hard wooden surface for the small ring of golden keys. The small girl's lips curled up into a big smile as she finally had found the keys in her hands. She pulled them down and held them close to her chest as she quickly turned and ran out of her parents' bedroom. Her tiny feet moved with speed as the small blonde haired child ran down the long halls of her parents' mansion. The young child was no older than seven and had already known that she wanted to be just like her mother. She wanted to become a celestial wizard. Though some thought the celestial wizards to be weak, and only had the power to call upon zodiac spirits to do their bidding, the small girl knew that there was more to this kind of magic. Every time she saw her mother in action or saw her summon the great and fantastic spirits, she wanted nothing more than to be able to do the same one day. She was often told by her mother that the golden keys in her possession would be passed down to her when the time came. The blonde haired child smiled as she thought of her mother and the first time she had shown Lucy how to conduct a contract between a spirit and wizard.

* * *

Layla was smiling down at her young daughter, with a soft hand running through her blonde hair. Her words were kind and warming as she spoke to her own child. "Lucy… would you like to see how a contract is made between a wizard and celestial spirit?"

Lucy looked to her mother with wide, chocolate brown eyes. They were full of excitement and anticipation. She clenched her fists tightly as she jumped up and down beside her mother. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Please show me!"

Layla smiled as she raised a hand in front of her body. "Alright, Lucy, calm down." Her hand reached down to the small box in her lap. She opened it and revealed the silver key with an intricate design on it. The bow of the key was designed similar to that of a cuckoo clock with the crest in the middle colored brown. The blade of the key was the only thing that was similar to the other silver keys Lucy had seen. She stood back as her mother stood from her chair, her hand raising the key into the air in front of her. Lucy looked up to her mother with wide eyes as she watched her speak the words all celestial wizards knew when summoning a new spirit.

"I call upon thee, in the world of the celestial spirits. I beckon you to my side at once, pass through the gate!" Layla said with such confidence. Lucy's eyes grew wide as she saw the bright light start to shin around her mother as the strong words left her lips. "Open, gate of the clock constellation—come Horologium!"

Brown eyes shifted to the sight in front of them both as a cloud of smoke with multiple clock gears started appearing from thin air. They all twisted and turned as they quickly formed in the middle of the cloud of smoke. A few seconds later after all the pieces had gathered, the smoke had dissipated, leaving just a large grandfather clock in the middle of the room. Lucy gasped as she saw a long arm come straight out from one of the wooden sides, a moment later, another arm sprouted from the other side. The clock leaned forward slightly as its arms came closer to the center of its body. The tiny girl jumped back and hid behind her mother's large dress as a head suddenly popped up from the top of the clock. She shifted her weight slightly so she could finish watching the spirit. She watched as its right arm circled quickly as the other stretched back out at its side. And even though its mouth remained closed, its voice spoke out two simple words. "Tick-tock."

Layla brought her free hand down to Lucy's head as she looked down at her scared child. "Do not be afraid, Lucy. Horologium is a gentle spirit who means you no harm." The celestial wizard stepped forward with her hands folded together in front of her dress. "Now then… shall we set up the rest of our contract, Horologium?"

The giant clock put his hands at his side as he spoke. "Of course, for that is why I have been summoned to you, my Lady."

Lucy swallowed her fear and stepped up to her mother's side once more as they talked back and forth which days the spirit was available. The tiny blonde haired child tugged at her mother's dress. "Mommy… what are you doing?"

Layla smiled sweetly as she thanked the spirit and turned to Lucy, kneeling down so she could speak to the girl on her level. "I'm sealing the rest of the contract with Horologium. I'm finding out which days he will be available for me to call upon him."

Lucy brought a small finger to her chin. "Why would you need to know that?"

Layla brought a hand up to Lucy's hair, petting it lightly as she spoke. "It may seem silly, but it's very important. A celestial wizard's contract relies on the promise that's made between wizard and the spirit, which is why I make it a point to always keep my promises and only call upon a spirit when they are available. It would be rude to pull them away from something they are doing on their free time… wouldn't you agree Lucy?"

The blonde haired girl looked to her mother then to the grandfather clock still standing in front of them. Her big brown eyes moved back to her mother as she smiled and nodded. The small girl stepped towards the clock spirit and held up her tiny hand, a bright smile was gracing her face as she looked up to Horologium. "My name is Lucy. It's very nice to meet you."

The clock spirit reached down and shook Lucy's hand gently. "As it is a pleasure to meet you, little Miss. I am Horologium, the clock constellation. And should you ever need me, I will not hesitate to rush to your aid."

Lucy took back her hand and brought it close to her lips as she dipped her head slightly, trying to hold back her laughter. "Your voice sounds funny."

"Oh?" The clock spirit put a hand on his side and outstretched his other arm as he spoke in a high pitch tone, mimicking the small child's voice in front of him. "How is this, little Miss?"

Layla smiled as her daughter began to laugh at the clock spirit. She knew one day that the young girl will take her place and take over her celestial keys. She had made sure that Lucy was going to be the one to inherit her magical keys, seeing how her daughter had made up her mind and what she wanted to do at such a young age. Even if Lucy decided to change her mind and practice a different type of magic, Layla could not think of a better mage to look after her precious keys.

* * *

Lucy had found herself in the large master bathroom, standing before the large bathtub. She looked down at the golden keys in her hands, her brown eyes searching for her favorite spirit to summon. The small girl held up one golden key in particular. The golden key she had singled out had a bow that was designed to look like and upside down urn with two handles on either side. The center of the bow was white with the crest of the water bearer colored in blue, and with a small golden heart on the base. The blade of the key resembled a mermaid tail, with what looked like fins sprouting out of either side of the base of the bow, and four more at the tip curling towards the center.

Lucy giggled as she took the single key from the ring her mother used to keep all of her celestial keys together. "Time to come out and play!" The small girl said cheerfully as she tossed the key into the water of the bathtub in front of her. "Come on out pretty mermaid!" A few seconds later, a large wave of water came up from the bath, quickly forming into a water spout. From it, the one known as the water bearer Aquarius, had appeared. She was leaning forward, holding her vase with both hands. As her solid blue eyes opened and fell upon the small smiling girl, a scowl came over her face. "Tsk."

Lucy couldn't contain her excitement as she saw Aquarius floating above the water. "Pretty mermaid!"

The water bearer growled as she leaned in close to the girl, her eyebrows twitching as she spoke coldly. "Listen here, you little brat! What have I told you about summoning me? And in the bath no less!"

Lucy brought a finger to her chin. "I thought this was a bit bigger than the fish bowl… I thought you'd be happier getting summoned in here…"

"Well you were wrong! I don't want to be summoned in this bath, nor do I want to be summoned by you at all! You may be getting my key when your mother passes, but let me make this very clear to you…" Aquarius leaned back and brought her vase behind her head, her voice getting louder as she was readying her attack. "Don't ever summon me—" She yelled as she forced her vase forward towards Lucy, sending her whole attack at the small girl. "WHEN I'M ON A DATE WITH MY BOYFRIEND!"

Lucy screamed as she was swept off her feet from the water, getting quickly sucked into the swirling vortex in the middle of her bathroom. "Aaah! I'm sorry! I won't ever do it again! I promise!"

Aquarius leaned back and closed her eyes as she groaned. "You're so annoying… why do I even put up with you?! And don't just say it's because you're Layla's daughter."

Once the watery vortex had calmed down and completely disappeared, Lucy was sitting on the wet ground. Her hands fallen at her sides as she sat in place completely soaked. Her chocolate brown eyes were swelling with tears as she spoke softly. "I just… I just wanted to spend time with a friend…"

"Tsk…" Aquarius said as she opened her eyes slightly. She kept her gaze up at the ceiling as she continued to listen to the small girl.

"And you're so pretty… I just wanted… to play with you… I didn't mean to make you mad…" Lucy sniffled. "But that's all I ever seem to do…"

The spirit looked back down at the girl, annoyance still all over her expression. "Stupid girl… are you going to start crying now? Because that's all I need… a sniveling, annoying child…"

The blonde haired girl brought her hands up to her eyes as her tears ran down her cheeks. "I'm sorry… I didn't… mean to…"

Before the water bearer could say anything else, another voice came up from behind Lucy. "Don't be so hard on her, Aquarius." Lucy's eyes went wide as a soft pink towel was placed over her head. She could feel two hands come down on either side of her hair and start to dry her head off. The voice continued to speak. "All she wanted was someone to play with."

A small clearing was made for the young girls' eyes as the towel moved further back on her hair. Lucy looked up to Aquarius who was talking back to what sounded like a man behind the small girl. "What are you doing here? I didn't see the little brat summon you too. Don't tell me you used your own magic to come to the human realm."

Brown eyes looked up as Lucy turned her head around to lay eyes on who was helping dry her off. Her eyes went wide as she saw a tall man kneeling behind her. The man was wearing a fitting black suit with a white collared undershirt and red tie. He had spikey orange hair that was kept mildly short with a few strands covering his forehead and longer strands jutting upwards from the top of his head. He had delicate facial features and gorgeous olive-green eyes that looked full of kindness as the man looked back at the girl. His smile was warm and filled the girl with what felt like the suns radiance. Who was this man? The way Aquarius had been talking to him, she must have known him somehow…

The small girl finally spoke as the man moved the towel down to her arms, continuing to dry her off from the water attack the Aquarius had unleashed in the large room. "Who are you?" She asked.

The man smiled as he continued to dry her other arm off lightly. "My name is Loke. I am one of your mothers' new golden celestial keys. What's your name?"

Lucy's eyes blinked but she did not hesitate to respond. "My name is Lucy."

Loke smiled as he took back the towel. "Lucy, huh? You know… that's a very pretty name. Fitting for such a pretty girl."

Lucy giggled as she heard Loke speak. His voice was smooth and his words just seemed to roll right off of his tongue. The small girl's smile quickly faded as her head hung down slightly. Her two index fingers came together and pressed lightly against each other's. "I'm not as pretty as the mermaid though…"

Loke laughed lightly, getting the young girls attention once more. "What are you talking about? I think you're just as pretty as Aquarius."

Aquarius's expression changed drastically as she scowled down at the other spirit, all while Lucy's expression lit up in excitement. They both spoke at the same time.

"What did you say?!"

"You mean it?!"

Loke let out a light laugh as he brought a hand up to Lucy's blonde hair. "Of course. I never lie, and I know a cute girl when I see one." The spirit stood and held out his hand to the small girl. "Now why don't you go get changed and then you and I can go play together."

Lucy's mouth opened wide as her smile formed ear to ear. She took Loke's hand with her own and stood quickly with his help. A second later, the tiny girl was running out of the bathroom, eager to play with her newly made friend. Loke smiled and waited until the girl was out of the room before leaning back down to reach for the golden keys the girl had dropped when Aquarius set loose her attack.

The water bearer put her own hand on her hip as the other held her vase close to her body. "Why are you being so nice to that annoying brat? You're going to regret everything you just said."

Loke smiled as he looked up to the floating spirit. "She doesn't seem too bad to me."

Aquarius threw her head up and off to the side as she spoke. "Yeah well, when that annoying kid summons you at the most inconvenient time, don't come crying to me!"

"Maybe you should just lighten up, Aquarius." Loke turned around just as he saw the water bearer snap her head back to the other spirit in the room, her mouth opening to say something. Loke cut her off before she could get anything out. "She's just a little girl who is lonely is all. You should take a moment to see how she feels. An only child in such a large home… her father always busy with business and a sickly mother… with no one else to talk to or play with her own age… she looks to her mother's celestial spirits for comfort." Loke slipped the golden keys into his jacket pocket just before his hands slid up the silky material, adjusting it on his torso. "It's our duty as celestial spirits to help our master whenever summoned…" His head turned back to the floating spirit, a smile gracing his lips. "But that doesn't mean we can't help out a lonely child as well. Especially when it's Layla's daughter." Loke turned back around and started for the door. "I may be new to this team and celestial wizard… but from what I've heard from the other spirits… she is the best one to serve under. And who knows, maybe one day… that little girl with become just like her mother and treat her spirits with the same love and respect as her mother does."

Aquarius quickly snapped her head back to the side. "Tsk…" She hated the fact that Loke was the leader of the zodiac. Though she thought herself stronger than the rest of the zodiac, she had no other choice than to listen to him. Of course, that was only when they were in the celestial world. "What does he know… he isn't the one getting summoned in fish bowls or bathtubs…" Aquarius let out a huff as she tossed her long blue hair away from her shoulder. "Whatever. I'm going back to my date with my boyfriend. He can deal with that little brat." And with that, the spirit quickly disappeared, her body materializing back to the spirit world.

Ever since that day, Lucy had not felt as lonely as she did before. It was all thanks to the leader of the zodiac. He had appeared every day to play and talk with the young girl. She had felt like she had an actual friend who wanted to spend time with her, and listen to her. He had never missed one day with Lucy ever since Layla had made a contract with him. Even after a battle or long lasting mission, he would always find time for the girl, whether it be tucking her into bed at night and reading her a bedtime story, or simply sitting with her and listening about how her day had gone. To Lucy, he never seemed to tire of her, never found her annoying, and genially looked like he was enjoying his time with her.

One clear and starry night, Loke was putting the girl to bed for her sick mother who could barely manage to get out of bed these days. The spirit smiled as his hands moved down the girls sides, tucking the blanket under her tiny form. He had been completely exhausted from his tasks earlier that day, but he wasn't about to show it. Not in front of her. As his hands reached the girls' feet, he heard a small voice speak up.

"Loke?" Lucy asked softly.

The spirit finished tucking the girl's body in and stood up straight. "Yes Lucy?"

The girl hid half of her face under the covers as her eyes stared up into olive-green. "Are you tired?"

The spirit half smiled as he pulled a chair up to the side of the bed, slowly sitting down in it and placing his folded hands on the edge. "Why do you ask?"

Lucy shrugged her shoulders. "You just look tired… and you look after me every night and play with me every day… I'm not becoming a bother to you… am I?"

Loke chuckled and spoke softly. "You could never become a bother to me Lucy. Do not worry about me. Just focus on getting some sleep." The spirit stood and started for the door of the girls' room. His feet stopped when Lucy's voice spoke back up.

"Hey… Loke?"

The tall man turned and raised a brow. "Yes?"

"You'll be my friend forever… right?" The small child asked.

Loke didn't hesitate with his answer. "Of course."

"And you'll always be there for me?" Lucy added.

Loke let out a soft sigh as he walked back over to the bed. He noticed the girl's eyes were still wide awake and awaiting his answer patiently. The spirit sat down on the bed and turned to face the small girl lying down. With a free hand, the spirit brought a hand in front of his body and pointed towards the window, motioning her to look out to the starry sky. "If you ever feel lonely, just look to the stars. You remember what my constellation looks like, right?" He watched the girl nod her head quickly as her eyes shifted to the window. "Good. So when you are feeling down or lonely, just look out to my constellation and you won't feel so sad. For I will always be watching over you."

Lucy's lips curled into a smile as she saw his constellation shine brighter than any others in the sky that night. His words were so comforting and warm, just like his voice. He always knew how to make the girl feel like she had a friend in him. A true friend. A shining light caused the girl to look back to the spirit who had pulled something from within himself. He held the shining object in his hand as it shrunk down into a small object. Lucy sat up quickly as her eyes were glued to what the spirit was holding onto. "What is that?!"

Loke chuckled. "It's my brightest star. It's called Regulus. And I would like for you to watch over it for me. That way, if I ever have to leave you, you will have something to find me with. For Regulus and I are one in the same. It's the driving force of my power and I would like for you to watch over it for me."

Lucy held up her small hands as Loke handed her the bright star. It shimmered and shinned, lighting up all that was around her. She was mesmerized by the sight. "It's so… beautiful…" The small girl blushed lightly as she looked back to Loke. His star too, was filling her with the warmth of the sun. She smiled as she pulled the blanket off of her legs, sitting up on her knees so that she could become level with his face. The young girl leaned in and planted a soft kiss on the spirits cheek. Olive-green eyes widened slightly at the cute gesture she had made. He had never been kissed by a human, let alone one so small. He watched her climb back into the spot she had been laying down in and held the star close to her chest. "I will keep very good care of it for you, because you are my best friend. And you've made me really happy. So for once, I want to do something nice for you!"

Loke smiled at the small girl as she laid back down, her hands still clutching the star. He may have been foolish to entrust such a small child with the one thing that grants him so much power, but he knew she could be trusted. Besides… he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He had planned on being beside the girl for a very long time, even if he was still under contract with Layla.

* * *

Lucy walked out of her bathroom with a cream colored towel wrapped around her body. Her feet were headed straight for her bedroom as the celestial mage ran another towel through her long blonde hair. She let out a sigh as she sat down on the edge of her bed, her brown eyes cast down as she wrapped the spare towel around her neck. ' _Another year… and still no sign of his key…'_ Chocolate brown eyes looked up to the large board in her room. It was covered with articles from the newspaper, pictures of the different celestial keys, and different colored strings pinned to different areas of the board. Lucy stood back up and made her way over to the board. She stopped just before it, letting her eyes scan over every inch of it. She shifted her weight to one side as she brought a hand to her hip. ' _And there have been more reports of different celestial wizards disappearing randomly… what is going on? Who is searching us out and taking the lives of those who practice this magic? Are they just doing it so they can get more gate keys, or is it something more?'_ With her free hand, Lucy reached out to one of the articles she had pinned up the night before. There had been talk about another celestial wizard who had broken a sacred rule. It was rumored they had been summoning their own spirits to use as shields or distractions instead of working with the spirits. Others have heard that the very same spirits had been getting treated unfairly, beaten, and even forced to stay in the human realm for long periods of time.

Lucy shook her head as she dropped her hand down to her side. ' _But who would do that to their own spirits? That's just cruel and unlike a celestial wizard.'_ The blonde haired mage turned and went back to her bed, sitting down on it lightly. Her brown eyes shifted to her nightstand where her brown leather pouch was. It was holding her beloved celestial keys that had been passed down to her from her mother. Layla had passed away many years ago, and because Lucy was not old enough to control such magic power, the celestial keys were given to four of Layla's most trusted servants. Three were more than happy to return said keys to Lucy when she became of age and started practicing the celestial magic… but one servant remained elusive to this day.

When it came time for Lucy to finally get back her mothers' golden keys, the servant who had Loke's key was never found. The blonde haired girl didn't know if the servant had been killed, had died, or simply had sold the golden key for money. Either way, Loke's key was lost to her. As was her best friend. She had no way of finding him, no way of finding out if he was ok. She even used the silver Southern Cross spirit to try to find out any information he had on where Loke's whereabouts. To no prevail, he knew nothing. He couldn't even tell her if he was sighted in the celestial world because no one had seen him in such a long time.

She had gotten back Aquarius, Cancer, Capricorn, and even acquired a couple of new golden keys herself amongst her travels. The golden gate key of the bull and maiden were of her newest finds a few years back. She had also acquired a couple of silver keys to add to her growing collection and new friends. Lucy had become quite proud for making herself well known in the celestial wizard community just because of the great teamwork she had with her spirits. All of them were respected and loved unconditionally by the girl, and wouldn't trade her for the world. They had come to her aid more times than she could count, just as she was there for them whenever they were troubled.

Her magic power was still average, but she could tell that every time she worked with her spirits, she was growing stronger. She wanted to become a better celestial mage for them all, and not just for herself. It was one of her promises she had made to them all, just as her mother had done long ago.

Lucy's brown eyes moved over slightly to see a shimmering star sitting peacefully in a glass case. A soft smile came over her lips as she got up from the bed and walked over to the star that was given to her so long ago. Her hands slowly opened the glass lid, slowly and gently reaching down and scooping the star into her hands. The blonde haired mage lifted her hands close to her face so that she could see into the star. She could make out so many colors and what looked like a whole other galaxy inside this tiny star. Its light had never wavered or faded, even after all of these years. This told Lucy that Loke was still alive and well. She knew that if something drastic were to happen to him, the light coming off of Regulus would fade and its warmth would diminish completely.

"I know you are out there…" Lucy said as she looked up from the star in her hands. She made her way over to her window to look out the starry night sky, her brown eyes catching a glimpse of the constellation of the lion. "I will find you. I swear I will. I just need to find out what is going on with the other celestial wizards… I'm hoping that by digging into this mystery it will help me find you again." Brown eyes looked back down to the star in her hand. "I promise I won't give up. As long as this star shines, I know you are still waiting for me too." A smile curled the girls' lips as she felt the star grow warmer in the palm of her hand. "We will see each other again, my friend."

* * *

"It was you, wasn't it?!" Karen screamed as she tossed the spirit of the ram down onto the hard ground. The shy and nervous spirit cried out in pain as she hit the floor. Her arms instinctively came up over her face as she cried and curled her body up.

"Please, I don't know what you are talking about! I haven't been out of the spirit realm until you summoned me just now!" Aries cried out.

Karen raised her arm with a crop in hand. "Why do you insist on lying to me you pathetic and useless spirit?!" Her hand came down fast and hard, letting the crop do its work to the fair skin on the celestial being cowering before her. The green haired celestial mage continued her assault on Aries as she spoke. "You lie to my face to save your own skin! You were the one who reported me to the newspaper! You told them what I have been doing to you and the rest of those infuriating spirits!" Karen stopped for a minute to catch her own breath. She looked down at the whip marks and welts forming over Aries pale skin. The spirit looked between her wool covered arms at her unmerciful master.

"Please… I swear it wasn't me… you have to believe me!" She pleaded with tears in her big eyes.

Karen scowled as she raised her arm up and behind her head. "I'm never going to believe another word that comes out of your mouth. And you will suffer more before I chain you up and keep you from entering your gate. I think a whole week should be a good amount of time for you to see the error of your mistake."

Aries sat up quickly, her mind ignoring the pain from the welts all over her body. She clenched her fists tightly as she spoke back to her master. "Please! Anything but that! I will not be able to survive that long in the human world!"

Karen's unwavering brown eyes stared back at the quivering spirit. "I will not shed a tear over a weak spirit like you who can't even handle a week outside of the celestial spirit world." Aries shut her eyes quickly, letting her tears fall down her cheeks as Karen readied herself to unleash more punishment. Just as her arm passed her head, a deep and cold voice filled the room, causing the mage to freeze in place.

"Don't you dare lay another blow on Aries. It wasn't her who reported you. It was me." The voice said coldly.

The green haired mages' eyes opened wide as she twisted her body around with speed. Disbelief and anger was rushing through her veins and all over her face. "Leo!" She clenched her crop in her hand tightly as she watched him walk over to Aries, extending his hand to help her up from the ground. His cold olive-green eyes glared daggers at her through blue tinted sunglasses. Karen scoffed as she spoke. "Don't look at me like that! I know what you are doing. You are just covering for that pathetic spirit. I know it was her who—"

"As I said before… it was me who told the reporters about what you have been doing to your celestial spirits. And as the leader of the zodiac… I cannot allow this to continue any further." Loke said as he pulled Aries behind his own body.

Karen couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Disobedience… that will cost you dearly Leo! And I swear the moment you turn away… I'm going to take it all out on that fluff ball standing behind you!"

Loke held up a hand and pointed a finger right to Karen. "I have warned you, and I have given you too many chances to change your ways, Karen. But seeing how you would not listen to me, or my warnings, I had no other choice." A loud knock on the door caused Karen to turn around.

"This is Lahar, captain of the fourth Custody Enforcement Unit. Open up and surrender the Blue Pegasus mage known as Karen Lilica." The voice from behind the door barked quickly. The green haired mage turned back to face Loke quickly.

"Why you—you reported me to the magic council?!" She hissed.

"I'm through playing games with you Karen. My fellow zodiac spirits feel the same way as I do. We are tired of being under your wretched thumb. It's over." Loke said with narrowed eyes.

The woman standing a few feet away shook in anger. "No… I will not let this end… you are MY servants! Nothing more! And I will not let you take this power away from me!" Karen cried out as she leapt forward at Loke, her arm raised with the crop in hand. Brown eyes widened as she saw her crop make contact with Loke's hand. He had caught it on the swing down. She could see the slight tinge of pain in his face but anger was overshadowing it quickly. The knocks on the door became louder as the guards from the council were attempting to break down the locked door.

"I told you… we're done here…" Loke said through gritted teeth. His free hand made a fist and lit up with his magic. A bright golden light was shining up from it, blinding the celestial mage in front of him. The spirit pushed his fist forward into Karen's stomach, not only sending her flying backwards into her own furniture, but knocking out the damned wind in her lungs. The sudden forceful push caused her to gasp for air as she hit the table and chair nearby. Loke threw down the crop and watched Karen in disgust as the magic council guards finally broke through the doors. The orange haired spirit turned his head to look back at Aries who was still quivering from head to toe. "Are you ok?"

Aries nodded her head and walked up to the leader of the zodiac. "I will be ok… but what about you?" She asked softly as she reached down for Loke's injured hand. He quickly moved it in front of his body so she could not see the damage that was inflicted by the catch he made with it.

"I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me." Olive-green eyes shifted to the side, eyeing the guards taking the still winded Karen into custody. "And you don't ever have to worry about her either."

"Thank you… Leo… for helping me." Aries cast her eyes down at the ground as she brought a closed fist up to her chin, the other tugged at the hem of her wool shirt. "I know I'm not that strong and wasn't able to handle myself against our master—"

"She's no longer our master, Aries. And stop talking like that. Just get back to the celestial world and heal up. I'll deal with the council and return there myself when I am done here." Loke said quickly. The ram spirit hesitated, but knew she was to do as Loke requested. She wasn't one for confrontation and didn't want to cause a fuss.

Loke waited for the other celestial spirit to disappear in an instant before making his way over to Karen's keys. He had been waiting for this day to come. Waiting for the day that he would be free from this cruel masters' clutches. No more abuse for him or his fellow spirits, no more random summons to take the full brunt of attacks or used simply as a diversion. They were all free from Karen and her wicked cruelty. For too long he had tasted Karen's brutality… he was going to finally become a free spirit, along with his brethren. No one else would ever be able to control or command them. He was going to take the golden keys with him to the celestial world so that no one else can make a binding contract with any of Karen's spirits. He didn't care about the consequences of hiding the golden celestial keys in the spirit world. He would simply deal with the issue if the time should ever arise. Loke was tired of humanity and the ugliness it constantly spread. No more. He thought as he walked the path where his old master had flown after his punch. Loke's hands reached out for Karen's keys that had fallen from her waist when he forced her back into the furniture, his chest pounding hard as he saw his freedom coming to them at last.

Lahar stepped directly in front of the celestial spirit, stopping his hands from reaching the golden keys. Olive-green eyes glanced up at the council's right hand man. The spirit stood up straight and spoke coldly once again. "If you don't mind stepping out of the way for me… there's something I must retrieve before returning to the celestial world."

Lahar crossed his arms over his chest as he let out a sigh. "I want to thank you for tipping us off about Miss Lilica… but I am afraid that I cannot allow you to take the keys."

Loke glared at the man standing in between him and the celestial keys. "You don't want to do this, Lahar. I'm going to be taking those keys back with me or—"

"Or what? You'll do the same to me as you did your own master?" Lahar said with a raised his own brow. One of his hands came up and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Let me just remind you, spirit, that it is an offense for a celestial being to harm their master. From what I know of your rules, it would be a such a great offense for a spirit just like yourself to do harm onto one's own master. If word got back to your king… he would have no choice but to strip you of your power and take your life." Lahar watched as Loke clenched his jaw tightly. "Am I wrong in assuming that outcome?"

Loke's fists closed tightly as his head hung down slightly, his long, spikey bangs shielding his eyes. "You are correct. So what? Are you going to go and tell my king what I have done? My actions that saved my comrade? Well go ahead. Do whatever you want to me… my life doesn't have much meaning anymore so what do I care if I live or die?"

"You're saying you would honestly like to die than serve another?" Lahar asked slowly.

"If it means potentially getting another master like Karen…" Olive-green eyes shifted back up to look at Lahar, his expression completely serious. "Then I choose death. Her cruelty and malice knew no bounds. I don't want another master. All of the celestial wizards are the same. All they can see is power, and with more golden keys in their arsenal, comes this power that I speak of. My plan was to take my own key and those who have suffered under her ownership back to the celestial world so that we can all be free of this burden. No longer should we have to live under a wizards thumb."

Lahar waited a long minute before bringing up his index finger and thumb to his chin, his mind deep in thought. "How about this… I will take possession of the keys and I will talk with the magic council and see what they would like to do. If they see it is in the best interest for you to take these keys back to the celestial world, then I will call upon you and hand them directly to you."

' _I really don't like this deal… but if it's the only one I've got… for a chance at freedom… then I'm just going to have to take it.'_ Loke thought to himself. "Ok fine. But call upon me the moment they've reached their decision."

The spirit disappeared back into the spirit realm before Lahar could get out another word. He materialized in his own room, right next to his bed. Loke loosened his red tie from around his neck as he sat down on the soft mattress. His fingers paused slightly as a thought came across his mind. ' _I never asked him what would happen with our keys if the council won't let me take them back here…_ ' Loke sighed as he closed his eyes, pulling his tie out from around his neck and tossing it to the side. ' _Oh well…_ ' He thought. _'Even if I do end up getting sent to a new master… I can always refuse to come to their beck and call. I belong to no one but myself now.'_ Olive-green eyes opened up halfway as he started up into the ceiling. It was made of a magic material that allowed him to view the celestial world on the outside of his room, blocking all peering eyes from looking within. He looked upon his fellow zodiac constellations, keeping track of how they all shined. _'I swear I will not form another contract with another human… for none are worthy of my key.'_

* * *

 **AN: Fun fact…**

 **The constellation of the lion really does have a star named Regulus, and it is the brightest of all the stars that make up the constellation.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! I can't wait to write more for this story!**

 **Also for any of my loving followers, I apologize for not updating anything in such a long time! I have been in a funk and have tried desperately to get something posted for any of my stories! I should have another bonus chapter up soon, and hopefully another chapter up for Centaur Paradise next week! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Chapter 2**

 **Yay! Finally have finished this chapter up. I was in a bit of a funk for a while so I didn't feel like finishing it when it was half way done lol that and I was also working on my other fic, Centaur Paradise.**

 **Anywhos! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, mostly Nalu and Happy on a job request (paying homage to their first job together in the show :) ) but things are about to get interesting and I can't wait to work on the next chapter!**

 **Suminong: haha yeah, trust me I wanted to write more in the first chapter, but I am an evil person when it comes to ending chapters lol especially this one XD**

 **book14reader: Aww! Thanks! I hope to not disappoint with this LoLu story! Also… we will find out the answer to your question in later chapters lol**

 **GR33NBAYRAIDERETTESGIRL24: thank you so much! :D I'm trying to keep characters close to how they are, but at some points, they miiiight be a bit different. But I hope you still enjoy it! :) I'm going to try to update weekly or every other week!**

* * *

Lucy stood from afar, watching her dying mother speak to their servants as she handed them all one of her golden celestial keys. The small girl looked down at her feet as she tried to listen in to what her mother was telling the faithful servants. It was no use. She was too far away, and her mother knew the small child was going to try to listen. Layla spoke in a hushed tone as she handed out her keys to their temporary owners.

"Please… take good care of my friends. Do not lose them or give them away, for they all belong to Lucy when she is old enough to practice her celestial magic. I am trusting all of you to come back here to give Lucy her keys."

All of her servants surrounding her nodded their heads as they took their individual keys and turned to exit the room, giving the small child and mother some time alone. Layla smiled as she looked past her leaving attendants to Lucy who was still looking down at her feet. "Lucy." Layla said softly. She watched the small girl snap her head up quickly, her big brown eyes widening at the sound of her weak mothers voice. The tiny blonde haired girl pushed off the ground quickly and ran to her mother's side as she sat up in the large bed.

Lucy stood up on her tippy toes and pulled herself up onto the bed to sit next to her mother. The small girl looked up to her smiling mothers face. She didn't look sickly at all. She looked like the strong celestial wizard Lucy always seemed to see. Layla smiled warmly as she put her hand over Lucy's short blonde hair. "My dear Lucy…"

"Mommy… do you have to go?" Lucy asked softly. "I don't want you to die…."

Layla let out a soft laugh. "No one ever wants to see a loved one pass on, Lucy. But it's just what happens to all living things. It's life. Besides… I know you will be just fine when I am gone."

Those chocolate brown eyes began to swell with tears as they looked into her mother's own caring and calm eyes. "But… I'll be so lonely… daddy is always so busy… and I won't have your keys to summon my friends with anymore…"

Layla's hand came down to her child's cheek to brush away a tear that escaped her eye. "Lucy, please don't cry. I promise it'll only be a short while you won't be able to see _your_ celestial spirits. So until that day comes, please don't feel so sad and lonely. I want you to be strong, and prepare to become a celestial wizard. Can you do that for me?" The blonde haired child nodded her head slowly as she let another tear fall from her eye. Layla smiled as she closed her eyes lightly. "That's my girl."

Lucy watched her mother lean back up against the wall, her strong appearance slowly fading. "Mommy?"

The dying woman opened her eyes as her lips curled into a weak smile. "Go on now. Your father should be here soon, and I need to get some rest before I talk to him."

Lucy was about to protest when a warm hand came over her shoulder. The young girl turned her head back with her eyes full of tears. Loke was looking at her with so much sympathy. "Come on Lucy. I'll take you to your room before I leave."

The blonde haired girls' lips quivered as she reached her arms up to the celestial spirit. Loke reached down and scooped the girl up into his arms, holding her close as he made his way out of Layla's room. He could feel her tears soaking into his shoulder as they left. Lucy was burying her face into him, not wanting to face the truth. This was the last time she was going to see her mother. The last time she was going to feel the loving touch of a mother's love. The spirit didn't quite understand the feeling of having a mother or a father, but he could feel the overwhelming sadness that the small girl was feeling. Her tiny arm that was wrapped around his neck squeezed tighter as her other hand gripped his jacket, her sobs continuing uncontrollably.

Loke half smiled as he ran a hand up to the girls back as he walked down the hallway to her room. "It'll be ok Lucy. Your mother won't be suffering anymore."

"But why does it have to happen now? Why does everyone around me have to leave me? I don't want to be alone…" Lucy said weakly in between sobs.

The celestial spirit glanced over to blonde hair at his side. "You're mother said it won't be long before we return to you. Besides, I gave you Regulus." Loke stopped just before Lucy's door and shifted her slightly in his arm so he could open the door. "And do you remember what I told you to do whenever you feel lonely?"

Lucy's head snapped up as her reddened eyes opened wide. "What you told me?"

Loke laughed slightly as he walked through the door to the young girls' room. "Yes." He made his way over to her window and set her down on the sill. His olive-green eyes looked out to the darkened sky. He smiled as he raised a finger to the glass. "There. See? The constellations?"

Lucy turned to face the window, her small hands coming up to the glass as her glossy eyes looked to the sky as well. "Yeah… and there's yours!" She exclaimed excitedly as she pointed quickly. The memory of what Loke had told her some time ago entered her mind. "You told me to look for your constellation and I won't feel so lonely…"

The spirit smiled as he brought a hand up to the girls' blonde hair. "Even if you have to look at it every night, I swear I will be watching over you. And I'll be sure to send you a sign every time you look upon me up there."

Lucy smiled at his words. She truly thought of him as one of her best friends. Out of all the celestial spirits her mother had, he was the only one who could really comfort her. But now he was going to leave her… just like her mother…. The small smile quickly faded as the girl hung her head. Loke could tell what was eating away at the girl and once again felt sorry for her. He didn't know how long it really was going to be before he could come back and serve her just as he had served Layla.

"Lucy…" Loke said softly as he turned the girl around to face him. His fingers lightly pushed the girls chin up to make her look at him. The tears were overflowing down the girls stained and reddened cheeks. The spirit curled his lips into a soft smile as he leaned in and planted a kiss on the girls' cheek. Lucy's eyes widened as she felt the warmth of his kiss move throughout her entire body. "Please keep smiling… even after we leave… I want you to keep that smile big and bright. That way when I come back, I'll know who you are." Loke said as his smile grew wider. His hands reached down for her tiny ones, pulling them up close to his face as he looked into her chocolate brown eyes. "Besides, you're too strong for that beautiful smile to fade."

* * *

Lucy stirred in her sleep as the same dream she had been having occurred once more. She murmured in her slumber as she tossed and turned, her body finally settling down as she laid on her back with an arm across her closed eyes. Natsu and Happy looked at the girl as she slept, their curiosity peeking.

Natsu raised a brow as Happy spoke beside him. "What do you think she's dreaming about?"

The fire dragon slayer crossed his arms over his chest as he tilted his head. "Dunno. But whatever it is, it nothing good." The pair leaned in close when they heard Lucy begin to mumble once more in her sleep.

"Lo…ke…." Lucy said faintly.

"What did she say?" Happy whispered.

Natsu looked to his flying friend with a confused expression over his face. "I think she said Lo-nee?" Onyx eyes looked back to the blonde haired mage sleeping on her pink bed. He gasped as he saw a tear fall down her cheek as she slept. "She's… crying?!

Happy flew around the room, panic stricken. "Oh no! What do we do?! Why is she crying?! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Natsu what should we do?!"

Natsu ignored his frantic friend and leaned in close to the celestial mage, his nose breathing in her sweet scent as he watched her intently. Lucy stirred under the dragon slayer, her arm slowly moving away from her face and back down to her side. Natsu could see her lips utter a name again. The fire dragon slayer reach out to the sleeping girls shoulder, shaking it lightly. "Lucy? Hey… Lucy wake up…"

Brown eyes opened slightly and slowly. They closed quickly at the bright light shining in as a groan escaped her throat. "Wha…" Those same brown eyes began to open once more, their vision focusing. Natsu came into view first. His infamous wide and bright smile across his lips as his onyx eyes beamed delight to see Lucy awake.

"Hey!" He said excitedly.

Lucy's' eyes widened as she swung her fist right into Natsu's jaw out of reaction. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!" The dragon slayer was sent across the room with force, his whole body hitting the wall across from Lucy's bed.

The dragon slayers hand came up to his jaw, rubbing it lightly as he spoke. "Geez Lucy… I was just trying to make sure you were ok…" His eyes shifted off to the side as he mumbled. "There really wasn't any need for that sucker punch…"

The celestial mage pulled her pink comforter up to her chest, her brown eyes glaring at the dragon slayer. "That still doesn't give you the right to just barge into my house without permission." Her expression softened suddenly. "Wait… what do you mean you were making sure I was ok?"

Natsu stood up and brushed off his shoulders as he made his way back over to Lucy in her bed. "You were crying in your sleep… and you said someone's name. Or at least I think it was someone. Who is Lo-nee?"

A slight blush came over the girls cheeks as her eyes cast down at her blanket. "It's no one. And I'm fine. I was just having a bad dream…" Lucy let out a sigh as she brought a hand up to her head, a half smile crossing her lips. "I guess you can say it was more of a sad memory."

Happy had finally calmed back down as he floated up beside the pink haired mage. "A sad memory? Of what?"

Lucy pondered for a minute if she should even tell her two friends. She eventually shook her head and put on a smile as she looked at them both. She waved her hands in front of her as she spoke, dismissing their concern. "Guys, let's just forget about it, ok? I'm totally fine."

Happy turned his head to Natsu. "Why doesn't she sound so convincing?"

Natsu crossed his arms over his chest as he closed his eyes, nodding his head in agreement. "I know. She's a terrible liar, Happy."

Lucy shot a glare back at the two beside her bed. "Will you two seriously drop it? I said I'm fine." The blonde haired girl raised a brow as she changed the subject. "So why did you guys just barge in here without permission?"

Natsu grinned as he reached into his vest, pulling out a piece of paper. "This!" The dragon slayer shoved the inked page into Lucy's face. "This request Happy and I got from the guild!"

Happy flew up to Lucy as she removed the piece of paper away from her face and out of Natsu's hand. "It's super easy and we all could use the reward money!"

Brown eyes read over the paper carefully, taking in every detail. Her eyes narrowed as she came upon the fine print. "You guys do know that this is on Mount Hakobe… and it's almost impossible to catch a snowshoe hare. And this guy wants two of them!"

Natsu leaned in close to Lucy's face as she lowered the paper from her eyes. "So it'll be super easy! Come on! We haven't gone out on a request like this in a long time! Just the three of us!"

"Yeah! Come with us Lucy!" Happy shouted as he raised his paws up into the air.

The blonde haired girl let out a sigh as she looked back over the paper. "I don't know… seriously guys… every time we go to Mount Hakobe, something always goes wrong." Chocolate eyes looked back to her comrades who were staring back at her with puppy dog eyes. The looks on their faces were pleading with her silently as they waited patiently for her answer. Lucy couldn't help but smile at the pink haired mage and his blue cat. "Ok fine. I'll go with you guys."

Natsu raised his fist into the air as he shouted loudly. "Alright! Let's do this!"

"Why don't you both wait outside for me? I'll be out in a few minutes." Lucy said as she removed the blanket from her body, setting the request paper aside on her nightstand.

"Ok Happy! You heard her! Let's go outside." Natsu said as he walked over to the window. He quickly opened it and put his foot on the sill. His next move was stopped immediately as he heard Lucy bark out her next sentence.

"AND WILL YOU TWO JUST USE THE DOOR?! QUIT COMING IN AND OUT THROUGH MY WINDOW!" Lucy shouted angrily.

The dragon slayer and the blue cat stared at the girl on the bed for a long minute before moving away from the window and sulking towards the door, their voices speaking in unison disappointedly. "Ok…"

They had acted like she was their mother, scolding them for doing something wrong. Lucy sighed as she hung her head, mumbling to herself. "Geez, you don't need to sound so depressed about it. I just wanted you to stop using my window for petes sake." The celestial mage moved her legs to the edge of the bed as her eyes traveled back to her board in her room. ' _Looks like I'm not going to have time to work on that today… oh well. At least this is an easy job so we can definitely get the reward money! No one will care if Natsu destroys anything up on Mount Hakobe! That is… unless he causes an avalanche to come down on Magnolia…'_ Lucy giggled at her thought. "I'll have to keep an extra eye on him today then."

* * *

The blonde haired mage shivered uncontrollably as the cold wind from Mt Hakobes' blizzard stung every inch of her covered body. Although it was the middle of June, this mountain was always snowing, always treacherous, and always unbearably cold. Lucy wrapped her own arms around her body in attempts to stay warm in her winter attire, but nothing could keep her warm in this freezing storm. Chocolate eyes dared to open and look ahead at the man leading their way through the blizzard. She couldn't believe that Natsu still insisted on wearing his dark sleeveless vest, letting his arms stay victim to the harsh weather. He always told her that even in this harsh and freezing storm, his body felt completely fine. Lucy rolled her eyes as she thought to herself.

' _Must be all that fire magic running through his veins… still though…_ ' Concerned brown eyes shifted back to Natsu as he stopped to sniff the air once the blizzard had started to calm down some. ' _He could get sick if he continues to come out here without the proper clothing. Even with all the layers I have on right now, I still feel like I could catch a cold if I stay out here much longer!'_

Happys' small shivering body stepped up beside the fire mage, his teeth chattering as he spoke. "Do you smell anything yet, Natsu? I'm freezing my tail off out here!"

The dragon slayer dropped to the ground quickly, crawling around on top of the snow like a dog on a scents trail. "I think I've got something… its faint… but I think we're getting close little buddy."

Lucy started to walk past the two as Natsu continued to crawl on the ground. "Thank god… I can't wait to get back home and out of this horrible weather!"

The ground beneath them suddenly began to shake violently, causing Lucy to stop in place and Natsu to stand quickly. They looked around for any signs of an avalanche or terrible creature that might have been living up here on the mountain. Happy brought his paws to his cheeks as panic started to set into the small cat. "What the heck is going on?! Are we under attack?!" He asked as he struggled to stay on his own two feet.

The dragon slayer sniffed around the air as the ground began to settle. Lucy whipped her head around to him, her hands instinctively going to her side with her keys securely on her belt. "What is it Natsu?!"

Onyx eyes glared straight ahead after a few more sniffs. "Something very familiar…" His eyes widened as he gasped. The fire mage brought a finger up quickly as he pointed past the celestial wizard. "Lucy! Up ahead!" A smile came across his face as he spoke excitedly. "Snowshoe hares!"

The blonde haired mage turned her head back around quickly, her own lips curling up into a smile. She brought her hands together and jumped up and down in place as she spoke. "Yay! Finally a job request that doesn't involve destroying a town, getting attacked by large and terrifying monsters, or our chances of losing that reward money!"

No sooner did Lucy finish speaking did the snow covered earth beneath them explode, sending large chunks of snow flying in every direction. Lucy screamed as she was sent flying backwards into the snow, landing right on her bottom. Natsu hastily stood back up and ran up next to Lucy, his fists clenched tightly ready for a fight. He knew exactly what had come up from the ground before it had even shown itself. It was one of Mt Hakobes' infamous living creatures and inhabitants. A Vulcan.

The fire mage grinned as he lit his hands on fire. "Hey there fella… it's been a while… but I've got some payback for ya!"

Lucy stood up and brushed off the snow from her leather pouch that clung tightly to her belt. "Natsu, we don't have time for this! We need to get those hares!"

Natsu glanced back over his shoulder to Lucy as he smiled. "So then you go get em. Happy and I can deal with this ugly guy."

The monochromatic Vulcan growled as he beat on his own large chest, trying to size himself up to make himself look bigger and to scare off the mages that stood in his path. Natsu responded with slamming his fists together, creating more fire between the two flames. He grinned as he waited for the wild beast to make the first move. Lucy too stood her ground until the Vulcan moved, knowing he could only focus on one person at a time. She only prayed the hares would not run off too far that she was going to lose sight of them. The celestial mage shifted her attention back to the Vulcan as it pushed off the ground, charging straight towards them, purely for the fact that they were on its mountain.

Lucy quickly ran off to the side and jumped down from the slight elevation they had ended up on. She was thankful for the snow taking most of the impact of her landing. She waited a moment to listen up above, making sure that the Vulcan had not seen her sneak away. All she could hear above the small hill was Natsu yelling and taunting the beast. Yep. He was definitely distracted. Brown eyes scanned the wintry landscape in search of the hares they had seen not too long ago. A wide grin came over her lips as she saw they hadn't gone too far when the Vulcan had shown up. It was most likely due to the fact that the large creature doesn't bother the small animals that shared the mountain.

The blonde haired mage put her hand down at her side, flipping up the flap on her leather pouch, she took hold of one of her golden keys. She stood up straight as she held her key into the air, her voice confident as she called for her spirit. "Open! Gate of the Maiden!" Lucy quickly brought her arm down in front of her as she held the key out. "Virgo!"

Within seconds, the ground a few feet away from the wizard rose up just like when the Vulcan had appeared. This time, the celestial spirit of the maiden had come up from the earth. As she descended from the air and landed on her feet, the spirit hung her head as she placed one hand behind her back while the other went up towards her opposite shoulder. The pink haired spirit lifted her head and opened her blue eyes as she spoke to her owner. "You summoned, Mistress? What can I do for you?"

Lucy smiled as she pointed past the spirit. "I need you to create some holes to catch those hares! And they have to be deep enough so they aren't going to be able to jump out."

Virgo hung her head. "As you wish." Just as the last word left her lips, the spirit had vanished back into the ground just as quickly as she had appeared. Lucy watched as multiple holes began to form in the ground around the white hares. The frightened animals looked around, trying to find an escape route. They saw an opening and made a break for it, trying to avoid the holes forming in the ground around them.

Lucy pointed a finger in the direction the small hares were heading. "Virgo! You got them on the run! Catch them before they can escape!"

The snowshoe hares were frantic, running for their lives away from the ever growing amount of holes and the blonde girl chasing them down with her spirit. They were approaching the snowy and thick brush that hid their dens from predators, their hearts racing as they were mere feet away from safety.

Lucy could feel her heart drop as she saw where the rabbits were headed. ' _No! We can't let them get away! I didn't come all the way up here to freeze my butt off and not get those rabbits and reward money! Come on Virgo! I'm counting on you!'_

Just before the hares could reach safety, the spirit shot up from the ground and snatched both rabbits up, holding them by the scruffs of their necks. "I have caught the hares, as requested. What would you like for me to do now, Mistress?"

Lucy slid to a halt in the snow, her smile wide as she jumped up into the air. "Virgo, you're amazing!"

Virgo stared blankly at Lucy as she gathered up the cage she was supposed to transport the animals' in. "I was merely doing as I was told."

Lucy opened the small cage and let Virgo place the hares inside before closing the door quickly. "Yeah, I know… but for a minute there, I didn't think we were going to get them. Especially when that Vulcan showed up! But you were a total lifesaver. Those rabbits never saw you coming!"

Virgo smiled slightly. "I aim to please my Mistress in whatever task she asks of me." The pink haired spirit lifted her hand up at her side. "Is there anything else that I can help you with?"

Lucy shook her head as she spoke. "No, I don't think so. I'm sure Natsu and Happy have taken out that Vulcan by now. Thanks Virgo!" The spirit brought her hand across the front of her chest as she bowed her head slightly, silently dismissing herself back to the spirit world and leaving the celestial wizard to herself and the snowshoe hares. Brown eyes looked into the small cage, looking at the scared animals inside. "Now then… let's get back to Natsu and—"

Before Lucy could finish her sentence, the snow covered earth beneath her began to rumble and shift. The blonde haired mage looked down quickly just as two large hands began to sprout from the earth. Lucy screamed as the Vulcan her partners were battling came shooting up from the ground and grabbed her by the ankle, quickly sweeping her off her feet. He held her upside down as she screamed and cried out for help. The beast was unaffected by her shouts and curses. A cheeky smile came across his face as his eyes looked Lucy over. "Woo-maan…"

Lucy clung to the rabbit's cage in her arms tightly as she spoke with a shaky voice. "H-hey big guy! Why don't you just go ahead and let me down and I'll give you these lovely bunnies to munch on? Huh? Whatcha say?"

The Vulcan blushed as he brought Lucy closer to his face, his large nose sniffing her. "Woman smell pretty! My woman now!"

Lucy's eyes went wide at the creatures words. "WHAT?! I don't think so pal!" The celestial wizard reached down with one hand for her golden keys at her side. "Time for plan B!" The mage took hold of the golden key in the shape of an axe. "Open! Gate of the golden bull… Taurus!"

A few feet away, the bull spirit appeared. He immediately went straight for his axe hanging from his back, pulling it around to the front of his body as he glared at the Vulcan holding Lucy by her ankles. "It's been a while Lucy… I must say, I'm pretty sad to see you over there with some other mooooch."

Lucy went back to gripping the cage with both of her hands as she shouted back at her spirit. "Will you just help me?! It's not like I asked him to do this, you know!"

Taurus smiled as he swung his axe behind his body, getting ready to deliver a blow to the creature holding his master hostage. "No one gets to handle Miss Lucy like that but me!"

Lucy sighed as she listened to her spirit. "I swear… sometimes I wonder how I am even able to handle some of you guys…"

Taurus pushed off the ground and charged straight for the ugly creature with haste. As he drew in closer to the monster that held his master hostage, the large celestial spirit jumped into the air, his axe raised above his head and ready to deliver a heavy impact on the black and white creature. The Vulcan pulled Lucy behind his back and raised his free arm to block the attack from Taurus.

Before the spirit could land a hit on the Vulcan, a flaming body dove down from the sky and drove its flaming foot right into the spirits face, forcing him to fly across the mountains side and land on his back some distance away. Natsu grinned as he made a fist with his hand as his feet touched the snowy ground beneath him. "Alright! We got him Happy!"

The blue cat flew beside Natsu and spread his arms up into the air. "Yeah we did!"

Their celebration was cut abruptly as they heard Lucy shout. "HEY! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA KICKING MY SPIRIT?!"

Natsu looked over at Lucy and crossed his arms over his chest. "He was coming right at you with his axe in his hands! I thought he was under someone else's control so I was getting him away from you! You should be thanking me!"

Happy shook his head in disappointment. "Yeah, Lucy. We were just trying to save you…"

"You idiots kicked the wrong thing! I summoned Taurus to help me out with this ugly guy! Besides, I thought you two had this thing handled! What the hell happened?!"

Natsu scratched the side of his head as he spoke. "Well, we did have it under control… but then he kinda got away from us…"

The celestial mage growled angrily as she grasped the small cage in her arms tighter. "Ugh! Will you two just hit the right guy and help me get out of this mess?! I've got the hares, so let's just finish this up and go home!"

Natsu grinned as he brought his closed fist to his open hand. "You got it Lucy. Look out, you filthy animal, we're coming over there to kick you sorry ass! Right Happy?!"

"Aye Sir!" Happy said with determination.

Natsu pushed off the ground as he started running towards the Vulcan at full speed. Happy was right beside him with his small paws stretched out in front of his body, ready for any instruction from Natsu. "I've got an idea!" The dragon slayer let out a shout for Happy as he jumped up high into the air, his friend quickly catching him before his body could descend back down to the earth.

"Fire dragon—" Natsu took in a deep breath and clenched his fists tightly.

Lucy knew exactly what the dragon slayer was about to do and began to squirm in the Vulcans grip. "Natsu! Wait! I'm still in his hand! And you'll kill the hares! Don't you dare use that attack!"

"ROAR!" The fire dragon slayer completely ignored the desperate pleas from his teammate and unleashed the large quantity of flames from his lungs. His attack hit the ground and forced the snow covering the mountain to fly up and melt instantly, creating a light mist of white smoke. The Vulcan jumped back to avoid any chance of getting hit by the attack from above. He winced as he looked around through the mist for the fire mage to reappear.

"Right here, Ugly!" Natsu cried out as he suddenly appeared from behind the creature, his fist set ablaze.

The monster turned his head just in time to feel the heat coming off of Natsu's fist, and just in time to feel the strength of his punch as the fire mage caught him right in the face. The sheer force from Natsu's attack sent the Vulcan flying, instantly causing it to become unconscious. As he flew back, his grip loosened and released the celestial mage, sending her a few feet away from where they once were.

The Vulcan wasn't the only one affected by the sneak attack from Natsu. The flames that he always produced were always so intense. When Natsu had landed a hit on the Vulcan, he unknowingly had heated the cage the hares were in, causing the blonde haired mage to release the bound animals from her arms, sending the hot metal cage away from her arms. Lucy called out as she was sent away from the Vulcan in the air. "Natsu! The hares!" A second later, the celestial mage hit the ground hard, landing on her side. She let out a cry of pain as her hand instinctively went to her arm.

Seeing quickly he wasn't going to be able to reach the rabbits in time, he looked up into the air where Happy had been after his dragon roar. "Happy!"

The blue cat crossed his brows as he plunged down towards the ground, determined to catch the cage before it hit the snowy mountain. "Aye!"

Both Lucy and Natsu watched in anticipation as the blue cat was inching closer to the cage. Their hearts paused for a moment as they saw Happy reach out for the cage. They were certain he had it, certain that their reward money was in the bag. With the Vulcan knocked out, there was nothing else standing in their way of getting these hares off the mountain and back down into town.

Lucy and Natsu's hearts sank as they watched Happy miss the cage by a split second. They watched as the cage hit the cold hard ground and break open, releasing the captive rabbits inside. The snowshoe hares ran for their lives back in the direction of the thick brush where their dens were hidden away from predators.

Lucy hung her head as she groaned. "Maaan… we almost had them! Now what are we going to do?!"

Natsu stuck out his hand to Lucy to help her up. "We'll figure it out. Maybe we can go look for them again in a little while."

Lucy looked up to the fire mage for a long minute before placing her hand into his. "It's going to get dark in a few hours and I'm already freezing my butt off. Not to mention, I don't have much magic energy left in me to summon another powerful spirit."

The blue cat came over to the pair with a saddened expression over his face. "Sorry guys… I really messed it up this time."

Natsu grinned as he leaned down to his small friend. The pink haired mage put a hand over Happys' head and rubbed it lightly. "Don't worry little buddy, we'll figure something out. The day isn't over just yet!"

Lucy moved her free hand back to her injured arm as she spoke. "Are you certain we can get our hands on those hares again before dark, Natsu?"

The fire dragon slayer grinned. "Hell yeah I'm certain! Come on! Let's go get those hares and collect our reward money!"

* * *

"I cannot believe you three fools let those hares get away! Twice no less!" The man said as he pointed an accusing finger at the two mages and blue cat standing in front of his doorway. The three hung their heads in disappointment and disgrace as the man before them continued to scold them. "It was an easy task for you to complete, and I was assured that it could be done!"

Lucy kept her head down as she tried to explain. "We're so sorry, but you see—"

The man threw his hand up into the air as he scoffed. "Do you really think I want to stand here and listen to your excuses?! Heh! Some wizards you are… pathetic more like it…. Can't even handle a simple job like this one."

Natsu threw his head up and clenched his fist tightly in front of his body. "Hey! That's not fair to Lucy! She actually had those stupid hares in her hands! You can't just go around and tell everyone who disappoints you that they're pathetic!"

The man raised a brow at Natsu as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh? She did, did she? Then may I ask, where exactly are these hares that she supposedly had in hand? Hmm?"

The fire dragon mage dropped his arm slowly, his head turning off to the side slowly as he thought about the last fight against the Vulcan they had up on the mountain. "Well… we kinda… had to fight this Vulcan and… we tried again after we defeated it but-"

The blonde haired mage sighed as she turned on her heels. "Just forget it Natsu… he isn't going to give us any reward money so let's just get out of here…."

The pink haired mage watched as Lucy quietly adjusted her bag over her shoulder and walked away from the mansion the man was standing in. He felt completely at fault for the failure of their easy job request. Not only did he let the snowshoe hares get away, but he also knew he got Lucy hurt in the process of defeating the Vulcan. Onyx eyes grew wide as his mind stopped thinking of all that had happened. "Lucy, wait up!" Natsu pushed off the ground and sped up to Lucy's side. He eyed her quietly as he brought his hands up behind his head.

' _Man… that job was pretty easy…I can't believe we blew it…_ ' Lucy thought quietly as she walked. ' _If I was a stronger celestial wizard… I could have called another spirit and helped Natsu out snagging those hares again…'_

Natsu could tell what Lucy was thinking and quickly spoke out. "Don't go blaming yourself for this job, Lucy. It was totally my fault." Onyx eyes looked straight ahead as Natsu continued. "I mean I did take out Taurus and made that Vulcan throw you off to the side…"

Happy quickly walked up on Lucy's other side and spoke after Natsu. "Yeah, Lucy, it's not your fault at all! I could have caught that cage had I not been so slow… and then we'd still have those hares for that mean old man!"

Natsu grinned as he stepped ahead and turned, walking backwards as he spoke to Lucy. "See? It was really Happy and me who screwed this job up! So don't go blaming yourself for what happened!"

Lucy stopped in her tracks and looked at the fire mage and his blue cat who were now standing in front of her. Her lips curled into a small smile. "Thanks guy. I know we all are at fault, so you don't have to take all of the blame. I guess I was just really counting on that reward money so I'm just a little bummed."

Natsu brought his arms down at his sides as he eyed Lucy's bruised arm. "Are you sure you're ok? I mean… what about your arm?"

Lucy waved a hand as she started walking forward again, passing the two who stood in place. "You two worry too much. I'll be fine. I think I'm just going to head home. I might come by the guild later tonight."

Natsu and Happy watched disapprovingly as Lucy continued walking away from them in silence. The two friends looked at each other with concern. They both wanted to go after the celestial mage and console her further, but knew her pride would not allow it. She needed the time to herself. It's just how Lucy was and how she always has been ever since she joined Fairy Tail. No matter how many times the fire mage had gone to her to try to cheer her up, he only seemed to make matters worse.

Natsu let out a sigh as he put his hands up behind his head as he started to walk on the dirt path once more. Happy scampered behind him to catch up. "Should we go after her? She seemed pretty upset… even though she said she was ok…." He said as he looked up at his friend.

Natsu stuck out his bottom lip as he walked. "Yeah… I know Happy… but we just gotta let her be. We can make it up to her next time we see her in the guild." The fire dragon slayer looked down at Happy and made a thumbs up. "Maybe we should go find some more job requests so that way we're prepared when she comes by!"

Happy threw his paws up into the air as he shouted excitedly. "Aye!"

* * *

' _Maybe a nice hot bath will make me feel better… get my mind off of the stupid job we totally bombed…'_ Chocolate brown eyes glanced down at her right arm. _'And maybe it'll help with this injury as well… I really don't want to bother Wendy for something so dumb…'_

The celestial mage moved her eyes to the ground she walked on, watching the bricks pass under her boots as she lost herself in empty thoughts. She didn't even seem to notice or process that the two men on the small boat floating down the river were talking to her as they passed by. Her mind was in a trance, her feet subconsciously moving on their own back to her apartment.

' _In between trying to find his key, trying to figure out why so many celestial mages are disappearing suddenly… I have to go on jobs to pay rent and somehow find the time to grow stronger with my spirits.'_ Lucy tilted her head back and looked up to the clear and starry night sky. ' _When did it get so late?'_ The celestial mage really didn't mind that it had become later in the evening by the time she was almost at her apartment. It was the thought that she had been wandering around Magnolia, wasting time by thinking over all that had happened that bothered her. She was trying to take her mind off of it all, but it was no use.

The jobs she had been going on lately with Natsu and Happy, really haven't been turning out well for either of them in the end. It was because she could only summon a couple of spirits at a time. Had she even attempted trying to summon another spirit….

' _No!'_ Lucy thought as she shook her head quickly. _'Don't go there… I don't even want to think about the end result._ ' The celestial mage looked forward, eying her apartment in the distance. She smiled as she made up her mind. _'Starting tomorrow, I'm going to have Capricorn help me out with this issue! I'm going to have to set some time aside for jobs of course… but I might have to put my search for his key and the mystery of the celestial wizards on hold for now… just until I can get stronger_.'

As the blonde haired wizard approached her building, she raised a brow as a small box with something white was placed at the front entrance. "Wonder if that's for the land lady?" The celestial mage walked up to the front entrance to her apartment, looking down at the small box. Her eyes widened slightly. "It's a letter… and it's addressed to me."

Lucy reached down and picked up the letter, turning it over to glance at the back before turning it back around to look at the front. Her eyebrow raised in confusion. "It doesn't say who it's from… weird…" The young mage was hesitant at picking up the small brown box on the stairs, but decided to just open it once she was inside and cleaned up. There wasn't any harm in opening a letter and a box, right?

* * *

The slim girl at Loke's side giggled as he whispered something seductive into her ear. She waved a hand at the spirit as she turned her head away from him and his smile. Her cheeks flushed as her green eyes looked back at him as her lips curled into a smile. "If I'd know any better, I'd say you were trying to hint at something with that little statement…"

Loke brought a hand up to the girls chin, causing a small gasp to escape her throat. He raised a brow as he stared into her green eyes with his own, seducing her with his gaze. "I meant every word, gorgeous."

Another woman at the spirits side wrapped her arms around his, tugging him back to her end of the booth they were sitting at. "Heey… don't forget about me handsome!"

The lion spirit laughed lightly as his arm the girl was tugging at lifted and wrapped around her shoulders. "Of course not, how could I forget about a lovely sight as you?"

His words melted in the woman's ears like butter. Such a smooth talker, she thought to herself. The woman smiled as she glided her fingers over the dark suit Loke was wearing. "You know… I have a room here… the three of us can get out of here and go have some fun…"

Loke smirked as he raised a brow. He turned to look at the maiden at his other side. "Well? How does that sound to you?"

The woman looked over Loke and the other girl sitting at his side for a long moment before her own smirk came across her lips, her head nodding in agreement. The spirit took back his arms from both girls and motioned them to leave the booth they were sitting in. The three slunk away from the loud tavern they were sitting in to the upper part of the building where the secluded rooms were.

* * *

**  
Lucy walked out from the bath with a towel wrapped around her head, her body dressed in her sleeping shorts and tank top. The young mage walked over to her bed and sat down, unraveling the towel to wring out her long hair further. Her eyes glanced over to her nightstand where the star Regulus stayed and the small brown box was, along with the letter. Lucy stuck out her lip to the side as she debated on opening the letter and box or not for a long minute.

"It's addressed to me… but there isn't a return address or a name for that matter…" She said as she stood up from her bed, making her way to the front of her nightstand. The mage stared down at the envelope with her name on it. "Maybe it's from my father?" A scoff left her mouth as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah right… like he'd do me any favors ever since I told him off." Chocolate brown eyes went back to the envelope, eyeing the inked name and the style of writing.

Lucy's hand reached out and picked up the letter with her name across it. She turned it over in her hand and opened it carefully, not wanting to rip the note inside. A few seconds later, the mage was unfolding the parchment and reading it over carefully. As Lucy read the letter over and neared the bottom, her eyes grew wide as her hands began to shake. "No way… this… this is from the magic council! And in the box is…" Brown eyes looked to the box that laid underneath the letter in her hands. "It… can't be…" The parchment fell from Lucy's hands as she dropped it to open the box. Her hands were shaking as she struggled to get the damn thing open.

The celestial mage could feel her heart racing at the thought of what was in the box. If what they said in the letter was true, then it would be holding the one thing she had been desperately searching for. The one key she cared about most. The one person she wanted to see.

Her shaky hands paused for a moment the second she opened the flaps to the box. Her eyes were wide as she stared down at a golden key. _His_ key. A tattooed hand slowly reached into the small box, taking out the celestial key that was promised to be inside the box.

"This… this is it! It's his key." Lucy brought the key close to her chest as she clutched it tightly. She could feel her eyes welling up with tears as she smiled and laughed lightly. "It's here… in my hands. I almost can't believe it! This has to be a dream…" The celestial mage wiped her escaped tears from her cheeks as she held out the key in front of her. "There's only one way to find out if this is it or not."

* * *

The green eyed woman gasped slightly and quickly giggled as Loke threw her onto the bed, slowly climbing over her naked body. He grinned as he eyed her like a predator looking over a fresh piece of meat in front of its face. Loke leaned in close to the woman as she wrapped her arms around his neck, their lips locking quickly in a hot kiss. Their shared kiss was quickly interrupted as the orange haired spirit was pulled onto his back by the other naked woman.

He grinned as she made her way on top of his clothed body. Her hands ran over his white shirt underneath his black jacket, a seductive smile over her lips. As her hands slid over his arms that were raised above his head, her lips found their way to his. She wasted no time tasting the spirit with her own tongue. Loke too wasted no time plunging his tongue into her mouth, tasting the human back.

The green eyed woman laid beside them both, her fingers mischievously ran over Loke's chest, secretly unbuttoning his shirt while the spirit was distracted. "Why are you teasing us, Loke?"

The lion spirit broke the long kiss and turned his head to the woman lying beside him. "What do you mean?" He closed his eyes the moment he felt lips grace his neck, their soft touch sending shivers throughout his entire body.

"You still have your clothes on…. When are we going to see what's beneath this suit? I've never been with a spirit before…" She responded with a smile.

Loke brought his hands up to the woman's waist as he chuckled. "You do have a point. I am quite over dressed for this." The spirit lifted the woman off of his body and lightly set her aside, excusing himself from the bed. The two naked woman on the bed moved closer to each other as they watched Loke strip off his jacket. His hands made their way back to the silk shirt that laid underneath. He glanced down at the few buttons that had been undone already. Loke raised a brow as he looked back to the girls on the bed.

They matched his gaze with their own as they both giggled. The orange haired spirit continued to remove his shirt slowly. He set it aside before climbing back into the bed, his legs in between both of the girl's thighs with his hands on either side of their torsos. "As punishment… you two have to wait to see the rest."

The girls giggled and wrapped one hand each around his neck, pulling him down some. As the green eyed woman pressed her lips against Loke's, the other nipped lightly at the spirits neck, sending shivers down his spine once more. Heat was coming off of all of them as their kisses became wild. Tension and frustration was building between the three of them as hands searched over heated bodies.

As Loke switched his attention to his other partner in bed, the green eyed woman couldn't take it any longer. Her hands went right to Loke's belt, undoing it quickly. Loke couldn't help but grin as he kissed the other woman. He knew he had this effect on women, but this had to be the fastest time one wanted his pants off.

Their passionate kisses and touches stopped abruptly as Loke grunted and withdrew away some. He brought a hand to his aching chest as he began to pant. His eyes were wide as his mind raced. ' _What the hell was that?!'_

The woman who he had been locking wild kisses with looked at him with concern as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Is everything ok?"

The green eyed woman looked at the spirit with concern as well. "Yeah, you ok handsome?"

Loke shut his eyes as he breathed heavily. He could hear someone's faint voice in his head. ' _What are they saying_?' A sudden pull caused him to groan once more as he resisted. "Uggh!" Loke clenched his chest tighter as he felt the familiar pull of a celestial summon. ' _Who the hell… is trying to summon me?!'_

The two women looked to each other as Loke climbed off of the bed. They watched as his hand moved from his chest to his head as he stumbled to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

The celestial spirit stood against the door as he panted, his hand falling down to his side. "What the hell… is going on?" Sweat dripped down from his long spikey hair down to his chin. "The council said that they would get back to me about my key…" Olive-green eyes glanced over to the mirror with an exhausted glare. "There's no way… they could have given it away without telling me!"

The spirit moved over to the sink quickly, placing his hands on the cold counter as his eyes stared into his own reflection. He suddenly groaned as the pull started back up once more, his body reacting to its strength as it tried to disappear into the celestial world only to appear in front of its summoner.

"No! I'm not… going!" Loke said angrily through gritted teeth.

A faint voice entered his ears. " _Open… gate of the lion!"_

Olive-green eyes shot open as he heard a woman's voice speaking the words. "Who… who is that?! Why are they trying to summon me?!"

The pull was almost too much for the lion spirit to resist further when it suddenly stopped. Loke's wide eyes stared at the tiled floor as his sweating head rested on the cold counter with his hands. His breath slowed down some as his mind had slowed as well. He had never resisted a summon but had heard stories of how badly I could hurt a spirit.

Loke knew that had he been contracted with someone and resisted, the pain he had just experienced would have been a thousand times worse. The celestial spirit closed his eyes as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly. _'Someone has my key right now…_ ' Olive-green eyes opened back up a moment later as Loke continued his thoughts. ' _I'm going to have to get it back… because I'll be damned if I have to serve under another celestial wizard! And whoever has my key… they are going to have to answer to my wrath.'_ The spirit slowly lifted his head, looking back at his sweaty and weakened reflection. ' _I'm getting that key back… and I don't care if I have to kill to get it. I will not be shackled to anyone else so long as my key is whole.'_

* * *

 **AN: I'm terrible by ending it right there. Lol**

 **Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I can't wait to write more of this story!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Chapter 3**

 **Omg you guys… seriously… I cannot tell you how sorry I am for not posting up sooner! A lot has been going on and I've been completely stressed out to the max.**

 **I went back to work, full duty, at the end of February, early March, and it was just in time to start getting ready for the big horse shows we have. And of course, they are back to back, every weekend until probably mid April? I don't remember off hand but it's a long freaken time. And its BUSY! I come home every night after working a 10+ hr day, rain, snow, sun, w/e! you name it, I'm working in it… and I'm completely spent. So I haven't been able to really work on it 4 days out of the week. As for the other 3… I have been too busy adulting :/**

 **Planning a wedding is freaken hard. planning a non-traditional and low key wedding shouldn't be as hard, right? Wrong. Just as flippin hard. I swear… it's really stressful, and aggravating at times. But now that things are coming together nicely, I've been able to slowly chip away at the chapter bit by bit on my days off and in between house work and whatever else I have to do in adulthood….**

 **Anywhos! I quickly read over this, I'm sure there are mistakes, and I hope this all makes sense of what is going on… if not, I'll try to go back later and fix it up, I'm just too damn tired to keep looking at the computer screen and I really wanted to get something up since it's been so long :( please forgive me for my absence! I really hope to get another chapter posted in another week or two. I would like to work on Centaur Paradise's next chapter before chapter 4 of this story, but we'll see how that goes. Again, I'll read over this chapter later and fix anything that needs tending to. so sorry again for not posting! I appreciate all of your support and reviews!**

 **GR33NBAYRAIDERETTESGIRL24: hiii! And thank you so much! I am trying to keep them in some ways, in character, but also keep a little spin on them as well. I can't wait to write more chapters in this story, I have so much planned! Its just hard finding time to write lol and also not get too distracted by other things!**

 **Questionable: Thank you so much!** **I am happy to say that you may just get your wish in this chapter… although I'm not sure if its exactly how you wanted it to turn out lol**

* * *

Lucy let out a sigh as she sat at one of the tables in the giant guild hall, her fingers tracing her newest golden key that failed to summon the one spirit she had been searching for. Her eye lids closed halfway as she stuck out her bottom lip. "Wonder why the summon didn't work… it's so weird… I've never had a problem like this before…. Maybe it's a fake?"

Her saddened expression quickly changed as familiar voices called out her name. The blonde haired mage looked up as she opened her eyes all the way to see who was coming towards her. Levy smiled as she waved her hand excitedly as she quickened her pace over to her best friend, the tall iron dragon slayer and small exceed right behind her. Lucy matched Levy's smile with her own as she saw her friend come closer. The script mage let out a breath as she threw down her red bag onto the table before sliding herself in with ease into the benched seat. Levy immediately leaned in as she spoke to Lucy.

"How's it going, Lu?! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" Levy said with eyes wide, still excited to see her friend at the guild hall.

Lucy giggled as she replied. "I'm alright. I've been busy trying to get some money while on jobs with Natsu, lately. But… as you may have guessed… those jobs haven't really gone so well."

Levy centered herself back in her seat as she felt for her friend beside her. "Yeah, I hear ya. We just got back from a week long job. And at the start of it, I wasn't too sure if we were going to be able to finish it!"

Gajeel grinned as he stood behind the two girls, his arms crossed over his chest. "And you have me to thank for that, Shrimp."

Levy's eye lids lowered halfway as she looked back over her shoulder to the cocky dragon slayer behind her. "If you mean that it was all thanks to you for us almost failing the job request, then yes, thank you." Levy rolled her eyes as Gajeel's smirk turned into a scowl as she turned her attention back to Lucy. "Someone was trying to show off the whole time for the client and townspeople."

Gajeel made his way around to the other side of the table where Lily sat. He climbed into the small benched seat and let out a huff as he brought his arm up to the table, leaning in slightly as he spoke. "They didn't believe me that I could change my limbs shape or eat metal! You'd want to prove them wrong too if you were accused of your fingers couldn't create script magic!"

Levy blushed slightly as she glared at Gajeel. "I don't use my magic to show off!"

Gajeel smirked as he brought his hand up to his chin. "I'd bet you'd show off to me if I asked nice enough…"

The iron dragon slayers words made the script mage blush turn a darker shade of red across her cheeks, leaving Levy speechless with her mouth agape. Lucy couldn't help but laugh at their growing relationship. She watched as Levy finally found her voice once more and proceeded to yell at the large man across from her while he sat there with a smug look across his face. The two never really admitted it, but Lucy could tell there was something there between them.

Her smile began to fade as her brown eyes cast back down to the golden key in front of her. 'I bet I could go on more job requests myself if I had you by my side… no Natsu to do something dumb and mess it all up and cost us the reward money…'

"Something the matter Lu?"

Brown eyes opened wide and looked up to the two other mages and exceed at her table. Levy with her look of concern over her face, and Gajeel and Pantherlily with raised brows, were all staring straight at the celestial wizard. "Wha?"

Levy leaned in closer to her friend as she spoke. "Are you ok? We didn't upset you by bickering back and forth, did we?"

"Oh! No! It wasn't because of you guys… it's just…" Brown eyes cast down back to the key as she picked it up gently into her hand. "I just got this celestial key from the magic council in the mail and I know they wouldn't just send something like this as a joke… but…"

Levy looked down to the key and back up to Lucy. "But?"

Lucy looked to her friend and locked her gaze in with hazel eyes. "But the summon didn't work for some reason… I was starting to wonder if this key was just a fake… and if it is… then why did the council send it to me?"

Levy let out a small laugh as she put a hand to Lucy's shoulder. "Oh come on Lucy! I'm sure it's the real thing. The magic council isn't known to fool around and joke. They're too serious for that."

Gajeel grinned as he chimed in as well. "Yeah! They all have sticks up their asses! Besides, if you need to know if it's real or not…" The dragon slayer stood up from his seat and reached out for the key in Lucy's hand, taking it with his own. "Better let me take a look see!"

Levy and Lucy watched nervously as the large man brought the key up close to his face as he examined it closely. Lucy raised a hand up slightly as Levy spoke. "Uh… Gajeel-"

Hazel and brown eyes went wide as the dragon slayer opened his mouth wide without another word, and bit down hard onto the golden key. The two girls gasped as they both stood from their seats.

"Gajeel!" Levy shouted.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Lucy exclaimed.

A moment later, the dark haired man pulled the unharmed key away from his mouth, eyeing it once more as a smirk came across his lips. "Heh… it's the real deal. I may be able to eat iron, but celestial keys were always something I couldn't ever bite down into if they weren't fake." The large man handed the golden key back over to its owner who quickly took it back with haste. She could hear the slapping sound coming from Levy's hand as it made contact to Gajeel's head, followed by a short angered cry from the dragon slayer.

"What the hell was that for, Shrimp?!" Gajeel snapped as he rubbed the side of his head.

"Why did you just bite down on that key, you big idiot?!" Levy snapped back.

The dragon slayer clenched his fist as he spat back at the short blue haired girl across the table from him. "I was just tryin' to help!"

Levy shut her eyes tightly as she too clenched her fists as she bickered. "That isn't the kind of help Lucy needed you dolt!"

Lucy let out a soft and quiet sigh as she lowered her head, her eyelids closing softly as she thought to herself. ' _Thank god… the key really is ok… and if Gajeel is right… then this key is the real thing….'_ Brown eyes opened slowly and looked closely at the golden gate key in her hand. _'But then why didn't you appear to me last night? It doesn't make any sense….'_

Lucy's' thoughts were cut off as Levy spoke behind her. "Sorry about that Lucy… is the key really ok? That dumb brute didn't do too much damage, did he?"

The celestial wizard turned to face her friend. "Oh, no, it's completely fine. Really. Not one scratch on it." She said with a smile.

Levy sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. Seriously…" The script mage began as she turned her head in the direction Gajeel had gone after their small quarrel. She placed her hands on her hips as she shook her head as she watched the iron dragon slayer start picking a fight with Natsu already. "I don't know why he would have done that."

Lucy giggled as she raised a brow. "I think he was genuinely trying to help, Levy. And like I said, no harm done."

Hazel eyes shifted back to Lucy as a smile replaced the worry expression over Levy's face. "Yeah, I think you're right. Even though he's a brute, he can try to be helpful sometimes… even if it isn't the correct way to help someone! That's probably why it took us so long to get that job done!"

Both of the girls laughed for a minute at Levy's words. It felt good to laugh like this with a friend, Lucy thought. It had been a while since she had seen Levy and been even longer since they had a second to talk just between them. Lucy wished she could have stayed there longer and talk about how Levy's job went in full detail, but she knew she had to get answers for this celestial key. She needed to figure out what was going on, and why Loke never appeared.

"Say, do you want to get a bite to eat and catch up, Lu? It's seriously been forever since we did anything just the two of us!" Levy raised a hand to her lips as she leaned in closer to her friend. "Now would be a very good time to catch up since our partners are distracted with each other!"

Lucy smiled as she laughed slightly. "You know… I was thinking the same thing just now."

Levy closed her eyes happily as she raised a thumbs up to her best friend. "Great minds think alike!"

"I'd really love to Levy, really… I just… I need to get to the bottom of this issue I'm having with my key. It's very weird that I tried to summon a spirit and it didn't come to my call for the first time. That's never happened to me and I think it would be best if I went and got it sorted out." Lucy said with slight sadness in her voice. She could tell Levy was bummed but knew her friend and guild mate would understand.

Levy sighed as she smiled, raising a brow at Lucy. "Ok fine." The short girl beside the celestial mage quickly lifted her finger. "But the moment you get it figured out, you come right back here and have a meal with me so we can catch up!"

Lucy giggled as she nodded her head. "It's a deal! I promise you'll be the first one I come find after this is all figured out!" The blonde haired girl turned and headed for the guild hall doors, waving her hand at her friend. "Thanks Levy!"

* * *

Loke adjusted his tie around his neck as he stared out his window in his room, the pull of the summon he felt the night before still fresh in his mind. He wanted to know who had his key and who had the gull to summon him so suddenly. It was the magic council who were to speak with him before any decision was made, and they had failed to do so. The lion spirit was angry and confused, he wanted answers.

"Maaster Leo, maay I enter?" A strong and confident voice came from his bedroom doorway. Olive-green eyes shifted up some to see the figure reflecting in his window. Capricorn was standing in the doorway with a hand over his chest as he waited patiently for Loke's answer.

"Yes, come in Capricorn. And I as I've told you before, just because I am the leader of the zodiac, you do not need to address me so formally."

"Of course. Forgive my forgetfulness." The goat spirit grinned as he entered the room, his hand moving behind him as he made his way over to where Loke stood.

"What is it that you want? I have something important to attend to." Loke said quickly as he turned to face the taller spirit.

Capricorn's smile faded as his expression became more serious. His eyes were always hidden behind a pair of black shades, but the lion spirit knew that Capricorn was staring right at him fiercely. He could feel his gaze burning holes into him. "I haave come to ask a question."

"And? What is it?" Loke looked right back to the spirit looking down on him. "As I said before, I have something important to take care of now, so please ask me quickly."

"Alright then… why did you refuse the summon of your new maaster?" The goat asked.

Olive-green eyes widened at the question. ' _How the hell did he know about that?! It wasn't like he was there with me when it happened!'_ Loke turned his head away as he bit down on his bottom lip. "Tsk."

"So it is true." Capricorn leaned down some as he spoke. "You know you haave to answer the call, Leo."

Olive-green eyes shot back to the black shades now level with him. "And you need to know your place and stay out of my business." Silence fell over the two spirits as they stared into each other's eyes intently. After a long silent pause, Loke scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "If we're done here… I have somewhere I need to be." The lion spirit started to walk past the taller spirit as he spoke.

A large hand grabbed hold his arm as he passed by, stopping Loke in his tracks. "You are going to make a huge mistake if you do not go to your new maaster. _He_ will come for you."

Loke glared at the distance ahead of him. "I highly doubt he will come down from the heavens to deal with me. He doesn't bother with matters as small as this."

Capricorn released his grip on Loke's arm as he stood up straight. "If you think that, then you are the fool. But who aam I to stop the leader of the zodiac?"

Olive-green eyes shifted back as the lion spirit glanced at the tall goat spirit beside him. "Like I said… the king wouldn't come down over something so little as me dismissing a call from a celestial wizard. Now if you'll excuse me, I have important business to take care of."

Loke left the room quickly, leaving his fellow celestial spirit to himself in his room. His focus was going to find this new master who tried to summon him. He was determined to get his key back from this unworthy person. In his mind, he was supposed to be freed from the service of serving another wizard. Himself and the other celestial spirits who were forced to serve Karen. He wanted them to taste freedom of another master as well. But from how the situation with the council turned out… it looks like someone went above his head and made a choice for them all instead. The lion spirit clenched his fist at the thought of their feelings or input was cast aside while a decision of their fate was made behind their backs.

Loke found himself before the first large and majestic gates of the celestial world. They were two giant pillars decorated with one star on either side of the top block with a crown shaped arch holding them together. The road leading to these last two pillars ended with a circle surrounded by two more partial circles made of stone. Slimmer singular pillars surrounded these circles as their giant glass stars shined on top of them. In the center of the small circle where Loke had made his way to, was a large star. He stood upon it as he looked up to the starry filled sky.

This was one way of getting to the human world that the spirits could use if they were to use their own magic to get to the human world. It seemed foolish for them to make such a long trip to this spot in the celestial world to get to the human realm, but going this way was less suspicious for what Loke had planned to do. He didn't want any prying eyes to watch him as he entered the human world.

Olive-green eyes closed softly as Loke breathed in. ' _This is it… I'm going to find you… the one who has my key. But I'm going to get it back… along with the others keys. We will not stand idly by while wizards abuse their magic abilities and use us as slaves just like Karen did._ ' With his last thought, Loke used his magic to port himself down to the human realm, in search of the mage who had tried to call.

* * *

Lucy walked slowly down the brick layered path, her mind lost in her thoughts as she tried to come up with a way to get the spirit of the lion to show up for her. ' _Maybe I should consult with the southern cross… maybe he'll have some answers…_ ' The blonde haired mage stopped in her tracks, her weight shifting to one side as her ears picked up the sound of the small waterfall in the river that passed through the town. Chocolate brown eyes left the golden key and looked around at her surroundings. "Oh no… I guess I took a wrong turn… I'm at the completely wrong end of Magnolia and where my apartment should be…" The celestial mage smacked herself in the head as she cursed her distracted mind.

Lucy looked around once more and realized that she was completely alone. Of course it was a little bit later into the evening time, but she found it weird that there wasn't anyone else around. She started to think that she had wondered into a bad part of town and became nervous. "Well… if anything happens… I can just summon a spirit to help me out… no need to panic or anything…" The blonde haired mage clenched her fist as she changed her fearful expression to determination. "You know what… I'm just going to try to summon my spirit right here, right now! I'm not going to wait for some creep to show up and it be too late for me to do anything."

The celestial mage squared her form up and held out the golden key in front of her body. "I call upon thee, in the world of the celestial spirits. I beckon you to my side at once, pass through the gate!" Lucy swung her arm across her body, moving the golden key with her before swinging in a downward motion. "Open! Gate of the Lion!"

Lucy waited in silence for something, anything, to happen right in front of her. But once again…nothing. She just didn't get it. "If this key is the real thing… then why won't he come to me?"

A man's voice startled the young mage, causing her to practically jump out of her skin as it spoke so suddenly. "It's because I don't want to form a contract with you, wizard…"

Lucy's eyes widened as she turned quickly, seeing the man who just spoke slowly walking up to her. "Wha… who are you?!"

As the lion spirit neared closer to the girl, he watched her clench her small pouch at her side that contained the other celestial keys she owned. His olive-green eyes glared at the leather pouch. ' _She already has so many keys…'_

"H-Hey! I'm talking to you, buddy! Who the hell do you think you are sneaking up on a girl like that?!" Lucy squinted her eyes to try to get a better look at the man approaching her. As he got closer, he began to look more familiar to the girl. Before she could come to the definite answer of who he was, Loke was standing just mere inches away from her. His hands were tucked away into his pockets as he looked at her through his blue-tinted glasses. Lucy stuck out her bottom lip as she eyed the man suspiciously.

"I'm the one who you keep trying to summon." Loke said coldly. His eyes looked the girl over… something about her seemed very familiar… she looked almost identical to his first master. Those golden and long locks of hair that shaped both sides of the girls face, the chocolate brown eyes, and that expression over her face. ' _Why does this girl look so familiar? Like I've seen her before… but from where?'_ Loke's eyes widened as the realization hit him. A vision of the small blonde haired child who would give him the same expression over her face whenever he had told her something indirectly, like a phrase that she was to figure out what the true meaning was behind it. Yes, it was her… Layla's daughter. The two looked at each other, eyes wide as they both spoke in unison.

"Lucy…"

"Loke?!"

The blonde haired mage let out a laugh as she threw her arms up and around the lion spirits neck. Her eyes began to swell with tears as she spoke. "I can't believe it! It's you! It's really you!"

The spirit stood still as a statue, still letting the fact that the once small child he helped care for actually grew up to become a celestial wizard. He was more so surprised that she was the one to end up with his key. ' _This is who the council chose to handle my key?'_ Loke felt the sudden absence of Lucy's arms around his neck as she drew back and started to talk rapidly. Her words fell silent to his ears as her mouth moved, his mind racing. ' _How can this be? I never knew she was actually going to pursue becoming a celestial wizard like Layla. I had a feeling she would have, but after losing her mother like that, I thought maybe she wouldn't have… yet here she stands… right before my eyes.'_

Lucy wiped a tear that escaped her eye with a finger lightly as she smiled at the spirit. "You don't know how long I've been searching for you! And now you're here! In front of me… had I known it was that easy to find you this way, I would have gotten lost on the way home sooner!"

"Are you really her? Layla's daughter… Lucy?" Loke asked as he dipped his head down some, shielding his eyes with his orange bangs.

Lucy half smiled at the spirit. "Yes, it's me. I know I look way different from when I was a kid, but it's me!" Lucy giggled as she put her arms behind her back, looking over the rest of the spirit. ' _He still dresses so nice… and his hair looks so much more like a mane now that it did back then… it almost looks like he has two orange ears the way he's shaping it nowadays. It's kinda cute actually.'_ The celestial mage let out another small giggle as she watched Loke stand in front of her silently.

"Say… if this is really your key… then how come you didn't come when I summoned you before?" Lucy said after a long minute of silence, her expression completely serious.

Loke clenched his fist tightly. _'Why did it have to be her? I vowed never to become a slave to another celestial wizard… but she has my key… and if I don't answer to her summon…'_ The lion spirit lifted his head, his gaze moving to meet with chocolate brown. "I'm sorry Lucy…" Loke reached out quickly and took hold of Lucy's forearm that held his key in hand. His grip was rough and tight as he pulled her in closer. He ignored the small cry of pain that escaped her mouth as he gritted his teeth in anger. ' _Screw him! I made a promise to myself and to the others who were under the control of Karen! Never again!'_

"Loke what are you doing?!" Lucy said as her free hand went right to his wrist, tugging at his jacket, trying desperately to free herself. "What the hell has gotten into you?!" She shouted.

"Give me that key!" Loke spouted back.

Lucy looked at Loke angrily as she spoke. "What are you talking about?! Is this about me trying to summon you?!"

Loke squeezed his hand tighter around Lucy's arm, trying to force her to drop his key. "Whoever decided that you should be my new master should know that they were wrong! Now give me my key back! I refuse to be at your beck and call!"

Lucy could see the built up anger in the spirit as he tried to force the key from her hand. She felt sorry for him, and so badly wanted to know more, but something else was more important in this moment. She had to hold onto his key. Lucy shut her eyes tight as she shouted at him once more. "No! I can't let go of this key! I've been looking for you forever now! And there's no way I'm letting this go easily!"

Loke grew angrier by the second as Lucy refused to hand over his key. Without thinking, he raised his free arm, his hand lighting up with his magic. Before he could do anything, everything that was moving around them stopped. The small leaf that fell from the nearby tree froze in time, the water on the river with a fish jumping up from it, the lightning bugs flying around the nearby light; everything was frozen in time.

Both spirit and wizard felt a pulse as everything paused in place. Their spines felt a chill run up as they looked around to see what had just happened. They watched as the sky above them began to swirl with the stars, slowly at first, but quickly picking up speed.

Loke's eyes went wide as he knew what was happening. "No… it can't be…"

Lucy shut her eyes tightly as the wind began to get sucked in towards the swirling sky above them. "What is it? What's going on?!"

Clouds quickly found themselves among the swirling stars as a loud roar echoed throughout Magnolia, but only fell upon the two standing together on the bricked road.

Loke began to shake as his olive-green eyes were glued to the sky and to what was about to happen next. "It's impossible! He's never ventured to the human world before! Why did he decide to come now?!"

Lucy opened an eye as she look at the nervous spirit still holding onto her arm. ' _What is going on?! And did Loke say "He?" Who is he referring to?'_

As the clouds began to disappear, they could feel a great presence hovering above them. Their jaws dropped as they looked in shock at the giant spirit who had just formed from the clouds. The armored and overwhelming spirit with his arms crossed across his chest, and cape waving slowly behind him, looked down at the human girl and the celestial spirit.

Lucy looked in awe at the enormous being before them. "Who… who is that?! Is it one of the celestial spirits?!"

Loke swallowed the large lump in his throat before he spoke. "No… it's the celestial spirit king…."

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Oooooo I can't wait to start the next chapter! It's going to be so much fun! I took this last scene from one of my absolute, favorite parts in Fairy Tail. I loved the episode where Lucy tries to get Loke's gate key to open and how the celestial king comes down to speak with them, ah! Gives me chills just thinking about it… anywhos! I'll go into more about the king in the next chapter and why he suddenly showed up. and in case anyone was wondering, yes, I added in extra "a's" to certain words while Capricorn spoke. I noticed he did that in the show and the manga (?) and I wanted to incorporate that in the story just a little bit.**

 **Please don't forget to review! I swear I'm really going to try to get another chapter up in a week or two so make sure you keep a look out for it! thank you all so much for your patience as well!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Chapter 4**

 **Hi everyone! No I have not abandoned this story and nor will I ever! My life has been stupid busy and I will admit that I've been concentrating on my other stories more than this one. I'm very sorry about that and I'm going to try to post up a new chapter monthly but I can't make any promises since my other works are farther along than this one and I would like to see them finished. I greatly appreciate all of your patience while I am away from this story. I also have to find my notes for this one because I moved in march and cannot find what I had planned and since it has been so long since I last looked at it… the struggle was real writing this short chapter because I think I had more planned out… but at least this is something! I do apologize for the short chapter but I really wanted to update it for you guys. I deeply appreciate your reviews and all of you who read this and support it! thank you all so much!**

 **xXAmissisMeo.14Xx: haha I've had plenty of those kind of reactions before, but mostly they happen at work on breaks XD everyone in the room stares at me and are like omg you ok?! And I'm just like ignore me! Just fangirling is all! XD thank you so so so much for loving this story so far! It really means a lot to me to hear that! :) yes! I kinda wanted to stay close to the main story line but also throw in a twist to the chapters I'm writing. This one is probably close to the show as well, but the next however many planned will all be my own. Don't know how unpredictable or predictable they will be because I have to somehow find my notes I wrote a long time ago so might have to rethink what I wanted to do from here on out ^^;; anywhos! Thank you so much again for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

 **Questionable: you are most welcome! I hope this chapter is to your liking as well (not too sure about it since I kinda wrote it blindly . ) and it's awesome to hear that the LoLu and king scene was one of your fav parts too! :D * fangirl squeal***

 **Guest 1: thank you so much for reading and reviewing!**

 **Angelis-of-night: thank you so much! :D**

 **Haruka Shinonono: Very sorry it took so long, but here it is! Thanks for reviewing!**

* * *

Lucy's brown eyes rounded as she stared back up at the overwhelming celestial spirit king. She couldn't believe that he had come down from the heavens, and for what? Why did he come down here? Lucy could feel her own heart beating in anticipation, fear, and awe. He stopped time all around them and made the air stale. She found herself inching closer behind the lion spirit after he had unknowingly let go of her arm as he shook in his place, his olive-green eyes glue to the king staring back at them. "I… I can't believe it! the celestial king?!"

Loke swallowed his fear and stood up straight, his fists clenching tightly as his expression changed to one of anger once again. "What is the meaning of this? Why have you come here?! You've never set foot into the human world before, so why now?!" The lion spirit shouted.

The king's voice was deep and loud, but it was also soft as he spoke to the spirit and human. "Old friend… do you not realize your recent actions as of late?"

Loke stepped forward. "I have done nothing wrong!"

The king narrowed his eyes as one arm came unfolded from the other, pointing a large finger at the spirit. "All celestial spirits must obey celestial law, no matter who their master is. I have come here because you have failed to answer your new masters call. I have been watching you and have been very disappointed with what I have seen. As leader of the stars, I expect you to show the righteous example of being one's celestial spirit. Your recent actions have gravely disappointed me. We all follow a fundamental celestial law… and if it is every broken in any way… one must pay the price." The hand pointed at Loke spread the rest of its fingers as a shock wave left his hand. Loke gasped and gripped his chest as he felt his life force suddenly being sucked out of him. "Leo, spirit of the lion, I hereby banish you for breaking our fundamental law. You no longer will be able to stay here on earth or return to the heavens."

"W-what is this?!" Loke said as he dropped to one knee. He could feel all his magic leaving his body.

Lucy watched in horror as the spirit in front of her started to fade in and out. All she could think about was the times they shared when she was just a little girl, how long she had been searching for him, and how she didn't want to lose him now. She leapt forward and wrapped her arms around the disappearing spirit. "No! Please don't!"

Loke weakly glanced her way. "You idiot… get off of me! Do you want to be… destroyed too?!"

Lucy could feel her own magic starting to be depleted as she held onto the spirit tightly. Her brown eyes filled with tears as she spoke through the growing pain she was feeling. "I don't want to lose you! Not after all of this time! I can't!"

"Idiot! Why do you… even care about me?! You're probably no different from… the rest of these humans on earth! You all think so little of us spirits… so why put yourself through this torture now?!" Loke groaned as his body faded in and out.

The blonde-haired girl held the spirit tighter. "You're living beings, not tools or servants, you have free will and feel emotion! I've only wanted to become close friends with you all, to help fight with you in battles! I've never once thought little of my spirits! You're family to me! And family always helps each other in any situation!" Her brown eyes were overflowing with tears as she stared into olive-green. "I'd do anything for you! I've missed you so much and have been searching for you for years!" Lucy shut her eyes tightly as she shouted. "I won't let you leave me now! I don't care who this guy is, he's not taking you from me! You mean too much to me! Not only as a spirit, but as a friend!"

Loke grabbed Lucy's arm. "Shut up! do you want him to kill you too?! Quit saying such things!"

Lucy shook her head, her brown eyes glaring at the spirit. "I don't care if he hears me!" She turned her head up to the king. "Do you hear me?! You shouldn't be doing this to him! You need to rethink your judgement because you are wrong for banishing Loke!"

The celestial kings magic wavered for a second, shocked by Lucy's words. "Hm?"

"You think just because he refused to come to my side when I called a couple of times, you can just banish him?! do you even know what he's been through before he came to me?!" She continued to shout up at the enormous spirit.

Loke continued to look at the girl defending him. "Lucy…"

The blonde-haired girl shut her eyes tightly. "I may not know exactly what happened to him with his previous master, but from the pained sound in his voice, I can just tell he was mistreated! He had every right to act this way! To be hesitant to come to me! You can't just abuse an animal and expect it to come to you when you call!" Brown eyes shot back open. "You shouldn't punish him this harshly! Your judgement is wrong!"

The celestial king's eyes widened as he listened to the girl's words. They were strong and truthful, something he could not ignore. He closed his eyes and started to lower his hand to his side, causing his spell to stop. Both Lucy and Loke fell back onto their rears as they breathed in deeply, the lion spirit clutched onto his chest still as he could feel his magical energy was very low. Lucy looked to the spirit next to her and immediately moved back to his side, wrapping one arm around his back to cup his shoulder with a hand while the other gripped his closer shoulder. "Hey! You ok?" She asked with concern for the spirit.

"Old friend…" The king started as the two below him looked up his way. "It seems you have suffered in the past… but it also looks like you now have your rightful master." His eyes opened slowly. "I have been moved by such kindness from your new companion that I would like to give you a second chance… but with a condition." The celestial king paused for a moment before continuing. "I will not banish you so long as you follow these two conditions… first, I would like for you to live along side this girl as a human yourself until you have proven yourself worthy of receiving your powers back. I want you to learn from her and better yourself. Stay by her side and help her. Secondly, once your powers have returned to you, you must go to her whenever you are summoned and aid her in anyway she needs. Once your powers are returned to you, only then will you have access to the celestial world again. For now, you will but cut off from our sacred grounds. Do all of this, and I shall pardon your actions, and return your status as the rightful leader of the zodiac. Do you hereby swear to me to uphold your end of this bargain?"

Loke lowered his head and thought about what he must do. ' _If I say no… my life as I know it will end… but if I agree to all of that…_ ' Olive-green eyes shifted over to Lucy who was still looking up to the king. ' _Then that means I'll be force to live as she does until I can prove to the king I am worthy of my powers again… she talks a big game about kindness and caring for her spirits… but… how can I believe all that she says? Thanks to Karen… I have such little faith in celestial wizards and their words.'_ The lion spirit looked down at his own body as it shook slightly from magical depletion. _'I… I don't want to die… I just want to be free…'_ He _clenched a fist as his thoughts continued. 'If these are my only options… then I have no choice…'_

"What say you, Leo?" The king said.

"I… agree to the conditions." The spirit responded. The girl beside him smiled and hugged him tightly. The king smiled as he looked at them both.

"Give it time, old friend. I have a feeling your ideals will change… as soon as you see the goodness in this young girls' heart… I have no doubt you shall succeed in restoring your powers." He held up a thumbs up as he smiled widely.

Lucy stood up slowly and stepped forward, her hand coming up to her chest as she spoke. "I'm sorry for yelling at you… I just couldn't let you do that to him."

The king folded his arm back to his chest. "I've never had someone talk back to me like that before, and to tell me that my decision was wrong…" Lucy shut her eyes and prepared for a stern lecture, only to hear the king burst out in laughter. The blonde-haired girl opened her eyes and stared back at the celestial spirit in the sky, confusion over her face as to why he thought it was funny. "You humans are always such a wonder and mystery. It warms my heart to see a new friend defending my old one. Please take care of him while he is in your care. I am trusting you to bring back the old lion spirit we all once knew. It may be hard and may take time… but I have faith that you will be the one to bring him back."

Lucy's confused expression turned into a smile and determination as she clenched her fist tightly. "Don't worry! You can count on me! I want the old Loke back just as much!"

The king once again smiled wide and gave her the thumbs up before a swirling cloud formed around his feet, quickly making its way up his body. "I am looking forward to seeing you both again, but in better circumstances. Good luck!" The giant celestial spirit began to disappear back into the heavens from whence he came, allowing time to return to normal all around the girl and spirit left on earth.

Lucy lowered her hand to her side as she turned on her heels, eyeing the man still sitting on the ground. He had moved his legs up so he could rest his arms on his knees as he hung his head slightly. The wizard smiled as she pushed back a strand of hair behind her ear, making her way to the now humanized spirit. She bent down to get on his level as she spoke to him. "Are you able to stand? Do you need any help?"

Olive-green eyes shifted up some to look at Lucy. She had such a warm smile across her lips. Her brown eyes looking at him with so much care and love. ' _She was willing to sacrifice herself for me… I should feel better about having her as my new master but… why don't I feel grateful? I still can only feel anger and distaste for her kind…'_ Loke chuckled at his thoughts. ' _Her kind? My kind as well, now… I'm just like them… only she still has magic power… I'm a useless human who harbors resentment… but if this is the price I must pay to get my powers back… then I have to just deal with it all I guess.'_ The orange haired man slowly began to rise. He felt warm hands move to the back of his arm and side, helping him stand. "I'm fine…" He said softly.

"You don't have to lie to me. I know you had a lot of magic taken from you before he stripped you of your powers. I feel weak myself but because I'm human… I don't think his spell affected me as much." Lucy smiled softly. "You can lean on me while we head back to my apartment." She said as she wrapped an arm around her own shoulders, her hand moving to his wrist and the other around his waist.

' _I don't want her help…'_ Loke thought as they both took a step on the bricked path heading back to Lucy's living space. ' _But it looks like I have to other choice. I have no other options but to actually put forth an effort into this.'_ The orange haired man glanced out of the corner of his eye at Lucy as she walked alongside him, carrying him confidently. ' _Part of me wants to believe she is different from the rest… am I so far gone for that to happen? I guess… only time will tell.'_

* * *

 **AN: once again, super sorry for the short chapter! I really hope it all makes sense because I quickly read over it ^^;; Please continue to be patient with me since I am working on 3 other stories at once, not just this one! Thank you all again for reading and reviewing! You all are amazing!**


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